Warrior on the Inside
by Animation Universe 2005
Summary: Musaki attends a kung-fu competition and realizes that there is more to life than just winning and endures friendships along the way. Rated T for language. For Joe 'Po' Navark, Tyson the Wolf Omega, P.O.W. M.I.A. Y.A.N.F. and Master T-Rex. Enjoy!
1. Competition Opportunity

Just thought up of this new story after it playing in my head in the beginning of spring, thinking what if Musaki participated in a kung-fu competition? Although, he doesn't worry about winning, but rather being honored to be there? Some awesome assistance for this idea courtesy of Joe 'Po' Navark. Hope ya enjoy!

* * *

Warrior on the Inside

by: Terrell James

Chapter 1: Competition Opportunity

One afternoon in the Valley of Peace, Musaki is just walking around, trying to get used to being 17 years old after just a month and a half and as he was heading back to the Jade Palace, he comes across someone putting in some posters across the Valley. He was curious to see what's happening and when he came to the guy, he asked, "Excuse me. I saw some of the posters around the valley and I just wanted to know is there an event happening here?"

The poster goose turns around, sees Musaki and then he replied, "The name's Haiko and I'm putting up posters for this little kung-fu sporting event in the coming weeks."

This intrigued Musaki a little bit and he asked, "What sporting event?"

Haiko gives one of the posters to Musaki and he responded, "Kung-fu competition."

As he was continuing spreading posters through the Valley, Musaki didn't know why he was there, but he was more than willing to find out more about this kung-fu competition anyway and it definitely caught his eye.

'Showcase your kung-fu talent! The legendary Kung-fu competition is in full force this year! Participants must be around between the ages of 12 through 18 to enter as a contestant to achieve amazing skills, loads of competition bound and bask in the glory of kung-fu achievement. Held at the new Rai Song Stadium in Shanghai Secluded Valley. Competition starts with opening ceremony in the first week along with the actual competition and by the second week, the top five finalists will compete for kung-fu glory.'

Musaki was completely excited and stoked that it's held at Shanghai Secluded Valley because it's held at his home away from his current home and he was definitely gonna be one of those participants to enter in that competition. And as he looked at it again, something suddenly caught his eye.

'Rumor has it that a certain bloodline of the Bushido-Akio clan is gonna participate in this competition because one surviving offspring of Sakamoto Bushido-Akio has recently surfaced named Xing-Fu Musaki Ko-Kanjo Bushido-Akio Meng Cheng Xi-Wang and that he might be the 20th member of the same clan to win the entire competition.'

To hear that Musaki is immediately elligible to enter this competition because he's the bloodline of the Bushido-Akio clan made him feel like it's a big honor to be a part of something like this, even if it's definitely unheard of.

Just then, Haiko comes back in and he looks at Musaki for a second and asked, "Is your name Xing-Fu Musaki Ko-Kanji Bushido-Akio Meng Cheng Xi-Wang?"

Without any hesitation, he replied, "Yeah."

He chuckled softly and bowed to him in honor and said, "I've known your father since we were kids and a darn good fighter too. He used to be in these tournaments when he was a teenager and this guy just completely defied all expectations of any kung-fu master or legendary warrior would do."

Musaki was completely eager to hear all of this and he asked, "Has he won any of them?"

"Pretty much. But he's not one to make either winning or losing the competition a big deal. To him, it's just an honor to be there and whatever happens happens with the final result. He'll take it all in stride." Haiko added.

Musaki has that exact same personality his father had before his time was up and he said, "That's my dad."

A few minutes later, Musaki went back to the Jade palace and he explained everything he said to the kung-fu masters about participating in a kung-fu competition and the reactions were pretty much in a set of mixed answers.

Shifu was definitely unsure about having Musaki be a part of this kung-fu competition and said, "Why would you want to be part of this?"

"Because it's held at Shanghai Secluded Valley and if there's something important happening in my old hometown, why should I miss out on it?" asked Musaki.

Po, on the other hand was completely stoked about Musaki being in this round and he said, "This is like the best news ever! Are you gonna win this thing?"

"Slow down, Dragon Warrior. I'm just participating in it, but winning isn't considered a big deal for me in something like this." Musaki answered.

That reaction shocked most of the Five after Musaki uttered those words, especially Tigress. She was the most shocked and a little appalled to hear Musaki say that winning isn't a big deal in a competition like this and she asked, "Are you serious? Why do you say that winning isn't a big deal?"

Musaki could see that Tigress obviously thinks that losing is a bad thing regarding competition and he answered, "Even if I don't win, I consider it to be an honor to be a part of it anyway because I don't take my fighting skills for granted."

Viper seemed the most supportive about this and she smiled at him and said, "You're absoultely right, Musaki. You've progressed over the years of us being here and whatever it is, I wish you the best of luck."

Musaki starts blushing from his cheeks after hearing this from Viper and he said, "Thanks. That's very sweet of you, Vipe."

Mantis groans in a disgusted tone after hearing both of them talk and asked, "Cut out all the mushy-gushy stuff. Besides, she's too old for you, Saki."

Viper took that as an offensive statement and resorted to just swiping his head with her tail and said, "Why don't you close that big mouth of yours? If you can grow one."

Mantis grumbles to himself with that comment and then hops onto Musaki's shoulder and said, "So, are you trying to like prove yourself worthy of something?"

Musaki rolled his eyes at that comment and said, "No. I don't really go for that stuff. I don't even care about how much fame I want. All I have is integrity, honor and also knowing how to be humble."

Crane stepped forth with how it involves kung-fu and he asked, "If this is a kung-fu competition, how come it never involved us?"

"It has an age limit. The competition enters for anyone ages 12 through 18 to participate." Musaki answered.

Monkey walks towards Musaki and he lets out a small chuckle and said, "Where does that leave us?"

"Overage." Musaki added.

Shifu clears his throat at this and he said, "Well, what is the real reason for entering something like this?"

Musaki wasn't really quite sure if he should tell the others about his certain reason, but he knew that if anyone has a right to know, it's Shifu. He takes a deep breath and replied, "Because my father used to participate in this tournament...that and I'm also the bloodline of the Bushido-Akio clan to do so."

They all froze for a minute, taking in what Musaki just said and all Shifu could say is, "What?"

Musaki sighed heavily and said, "It's complicated, really. But my dad used to be in these things when he was a teenager and some believed that his son is the bloodline of the Bushido-Akio family clan to enter themselves in it; not just for fame, but for honor, integrity and to achieve major accomplishments...just like my family."

Now that really surprised Shifu to hear that Musaki is next in line for this family generation and he looked at him and said, "Well...that seems like a good reason."

"Just because your dad used to compete, you have to compete too?" asked Tigress.

Musaki rolled his eyes at her and responded, "Yes. When one generation closes, another one opens for the future. As far as winning goes...my dad both won and lost the competition, but that doesn't make him any less humble. He's learned to take whatever the results say in stride and still keeps his head high and still gains his honor to the ones he knows him best. The Bushido-Akio clan always stays humble and true to themselves and they don't let anything, like pride and egos get in the way. Besides, my dad always describes the pride and egos in one word; weak schmucks."

Tigress felt like it was referring to herself and she growled at him and said, "I'm not a weak schmuck!"

"I never said you were...maybe. But the point is, winning doesn't matter anyway. Losing is never dishonorable if it is for the right reason." Musaki added.

Po pats Musaki's head and he said with a smile, "Well, either way, Lil' Saki...you have our support. I mean, you have to fulfill your dad's example."

Musaki chuckled softly and said, "People always see him in me because I have the same persona as him. I know I'll do my dad proud no matter what happens...just as you would for yours and Tigress does for hers."

Hearing that made Po smile at him with much happiness and Tigress with a great deal of silence after this and it made Shifu re-think about his opposition with Musaki participating in something like this and he said, "Well, if you want to fulfill your father's wishes, then I support that."

Musaki nodded his head and he said, "Thanks, Shifu. I'll do you guys proud."

Soon enough, most of the Five already honored Musaki's willingness to make them proud and Shifu went on to say, "You've grown a lot wiser since you've been here. Young...but wise."

"Well, my dad has always told me that I'm never too young to be wise. That's how my grandfather raised him...it's never too early to learn wisdom." Musaki added.

"So when do you leave?" asked Monkey.

Musaki lets out a deep breath and replied, "Later this weekend. The opening ceremony starts off Monday, so I'll be around for 2 weeks."

"2 weeks?" Po asked surprisedly.

"Yep, first week is the opening ceremony and start of the competition and then by the end of the first week, they round out the finalists and on the second week, the finalists duke it out to see who's on top and then celebrate with a closing ceremony." Musaki explained.

"Sounds awesome."

* * *

Later that day, Musaki sits around the Peach Tree, playing his flute into the sunset, just letting the wind blow through the tree branches and set himself for a little bit of peace and time for himself before leaving for Shanghai Secluded Valley for the competition. His mind casts himself on the cusp of how it will go, but he knows for a fact that he'll ace it.

Suddenly, he sees Tigress behind him and she didn't seem angry or anything. Whatever it is, he wasn't sure if he was gonna talk or just walk away because it might turn violent later on, but as he stood up, he could see her eyes getting a little misty-eyed and he was curious to know why.

"Is...something wrong?" asked Musaki, nervously.

Tigress only stared at him for a short time and soon enough, the misty-eyes transferred into streaks of tears coming out of her eyes and Musaki completely didn't know how to respond, other than just wanting to know what's wrong.

"Why do you do this to me?" asked Tigress, tearfully.

Musaki stared at her confusedly and asked, "Do what?"

"When you mentioned that you'll make your father proud no matter what happens. When you said that just as Po does for his dad and me for Shifu...it just made me feel like crap." Tigress added.

"I would never treat you like crap. And also...what I meant by that is, regardless if I won or lost, it wouldn't matter to me as long as I give it my all, that's enough to make my dad proud and it's the same with you, with Po, with everyone else."

Tigress sighed heavily and she just felt like a ginormous burden has been placed on her for years and she said, "I've spent 20 years trying everything to make Shifu proud of me and not once has he ever acknowledged me. To him...I just feel like I'll never be good enough for anything and that he'll never be good enough for me...as his student and as his daughter."

"That's not true." Musaki said.

"Yes it is! Shifu always gave Po praise for his training and he gives you praise for your training and I get nothing! He just hates me!"

Musaki rose his eyebrows after hearing what Tigress said about Shifu hating her and he only said, "Why would he hate you?"

"BECAUSE I'M A MONSTER!" Tigress screamed.

Musaki was nervous for her but he knows he disagrees with everything she said and she just covered his face while she broke down and cried her eyes out. He lets out a big sigh and he said, "You're not a monster. All of these things are in your head. Shifu does not hate you, nor does he favor me and Po. And I think it would break Shifu's heart if he actually heard that."

Musaki sees the one tear fall down on her face and puts his hand on her shoulder and she turns around and sees him sitting next to him, actually comforting her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing and she said, "Why am I crying? I'm supposed to be hardcore. Tears are for the weak."

Musaki thought it was ironic to hear that because Tigress is crying herself and he said, "You know, people who claim that they don't cry or feel anything because they're strong are usually the weaker ones themselves."

That raised Tigress' eyebrows when she heard that coming from Musaki and she asked, "What does that supposed to mean?"

"People who feel that way are usually hiding from their hurt from everyone else who's been hurt a million times before. If you're used to people pushing you away or putting you down, you're doing the same thing everyone else does to you. But simply because they're afraid to hurt those who care about the most." Musaki answered.

That surprised her to know that he knows what's inside her mind and never thought anyone would really understand her and she asked, "How can you tell so quickly?"

"Like I said, I can see the truth in another person's eyes. Crying and letting out emotions isn't as weak as you claim. It's a strength. It shows real courage to let any feelings out and it's okay to cry too. You may not like what I say, but in some ways, it is the truth."

"I just don't know if I can trust anyone because I would end up hurting everyone. When you're a hardcore person like me, it's just that simple. That's why I can't let anyone in." Tigress added, sadly.

"Then, you're risking on the verge of permanent loneliness. I'm not saying don't stop being...you. Just realize that sometimes your actions might affect everyone else. Would you want the other members to be cold and unemotional like you? You don't want them to do that and I know you don't want that to happen to them." Musaki said.

"But why should I let anyone in? I'm just a stupid, hardcore monster that does not deserve to be loved. Why can you not see that?" asked Tigress, angrily.

"Why are you so afraid to let anyone in? You think they'll just come and hurt you? I think the only person you're hurting is yourself. Life's about taking chances and face those fears head-on. You may never know, someday the people you've trained with and saved China with...may not be here anymore someday. All I can say is that even when they're not training, just cherish those moments you have anyway as if it were your last day with them. And you're wrong about you not being loved...Po loves you, the Five loves you, Shifu loves you, and even I do...despite the fact that you get on my nerves sometimes." Musaki explained.

"How could Shifu love me? He never has." Tigress answered, bitterly.

"Now I know that's not true. You've got to let everything in your past go because it's been years anyway. Why waste them with so much bitter and unfeelingness? It's just a waste anyway." Musaki added.

Tigress sighed heavily and tried to get those thoughts on what Musaki said out of it, but for some reason, it keeps coming in and her heart said he's right, but her pride refuses to let it come in and she turns to him and said, "Why are you saying those things anyway?"

"Because it's coming from my heart. Shifu is proud of you, Tigress. He was scared to show it to you just as you are of letting anyone in. He doesn't favor me nor Po because he loves us all just the same. You just have to realize that and take it in consideration. If my father was here right now, he would always say, 'Xing-Fu, always use your kind heart to comfort someone else that's in need of comforting.'"

Tigress finally looked at Musaki in the eyes and she didn't want Musaki to see her cry, but he saw it anyway and said, "There's no shame in crying, nor showing your feelings. You can still be the strongest warrior without proving to anyone that that's all you are."

Musaki stood up and walked out of Sacred Peach Tree, but not before Tigress stopped him and said, "How do you know if your grandfather nor your parents would be disappointed if you lost the competition?"

Musaki figured that question was coming and he replied in the best way he knew how.

"Because they'll be proud of me no matter what. It's not about winning or getting fame or recognized in China as the best warrior. It's about staying humble while being a good person and never take any of my talents for granted and just stay true to myself. It's not what I think up in my head, but what I feel in my heart. Even if you don't feel it, it doesn't change who you are."

She stood up and just walked up to him and hugged him tightly and whispered, "You're the closest thing I have to a little brother."

"Wow, really?" asked Musaki.

She sighed heavily and said, "I don't show it because I was afraid of being hurt by you or if I tell anyone about it, I'll just be alone again."

"But you won't be. You've got Po, Shifu, Crane, Mantis, Monkey, Viper and me. All you have to do is just understand that we're here for you...no matter what." Musaki added.

Tigress nodded her head in agreement as they both walked out of the Sacred Peach Tree and she said, "I hope you don't mention this to anyone."

"I won't...because you might want to tell them yourself someday." Musaki added.

Tigress felt like she was gonna knock him out at any minute, but Musaki stopped her and stated, "Look, there might be a next generation of the Furious Five coming soon, so it might be a good idea to do so whenever you're ready."

She sighed for a minute and only said, "Fine."

* * *

Didn't expect that to happen, huh? Well..this is only the beginning!


	2. Supporting Musaki

Of course Musaki goes for it and his Jade Palace family gives him nothing but support.

* * *

Chapter 2: Supporting Musaki

A few days later, Musaki packed up his things and got himself ready for his first kung-fu competition and he was very eager to be a part of something that is definitely an eye-opening experience. Plus, it was a great thing to have it set place in his hometown away from his hometown, Shanghai Secluded Valley. Then, he looks at his treasure chest and sees a white bandana with the Japanese flag on it and as he put it on his head, he sees himself as a Japanese warrior in China.

He lets out a big smile when he steps in the mirror and saw himself with the bandana and it was like seeing his father's reflection standing in front of him. He chuckled softly and said, "Well, dad...looks like we're both warriors today."

Just then, he sees Arizona walking in the room and he could tell that his wolf friend is giving him loads of moral support for what he's set out to do. Musaki turns around and faces Arizona and there was sort of a huge silence between the two of them, neither of them knowing what they're gonna say.

But it didn't take too long as Arizona was the first one to break the silence as he said, "I wish...nothing but the best of luck to you, Musaki."

Musaki smiled at Arizona for a second and he added, "Thanks, Zona. It'll only be for two weeks and hopefully, you'll cheer me on even when you're not there."

Arizona blinked a few times and then he told him, "It must be great to have an opportunity like this coming for you. I've never seen anyone taking those kinds of chances before because I always thought that wolves would never have any of these opportunties...but you...it just got me thinking that I hope some opportunities will come my way soon. And you're like the first inspiration for me."

"It's awesome that I inspire you, Arizona. But let's not make a big deal out of it. As I said, it's just an honor to be there and I wouldn't have it any other way. And whatever opportunity comes your way, I have your back...always. And don't be afraid to take it because there's only one shot or one opportunity that's just too good to let it slip away." Musaki said.

Those words made it feel like something that either Master Oogway or Master Shifu would say to Arizona, but having it told from Musaki made it feel like he's empowered and even though he's only young, he has the makings of a person with a lot of wisdom. The young wolf chuckled softly and asked, "How'd you get to be so wise?"

"I don't know. Maybe spending 4 years here in the Jade Palace was the reason for that...or my grandfather...or my dad before he died." Musaki answered.

Arizona lets out a deep sigh and said, "Fair enough."

Musaki picks up most of his stuff and Arizona helped him carry some more as he set foot out of the palace doors and just as he was about to make his way, he looks up and sees Po, Shifu and the Five coming in front of him with smiles and hopeful faces and even a little sketch of Musaki being in first place and reads 'Musaki is our #1!' on the bottom of the sketch.

He lets out a smile and it warmed his heart to see them bring out an outpouring of support for his endurance he'll take and he said, "Aw, you guys...thank you so much."

Monkey walked up in front of him and he said, "Always do your best at no matter what you do."

Then, Crane walks in front of him and said with a smile, "Win or lose, you're our hero."

Mantis hopped into Musaki's shoulder and said to him, "Go kick competition in the boo-tay! Kick some insane butt, kid. And I guarantee you, you'll be surrounded by the ladies...if you know what I mean."

Then, Mantis lets out a little tongue click and as soon as he got down on the ground, he received a tail swipe to the head from Viper and she went to Musaki and said, "Ignore what Mantis said about the ladies and you'll be fine. And always remember that we're proud of you and I know you'll do us proud."

Po was the next one to say some supporting words and he said, "Make these competitors bring on the thunda! I know it's my trademark, but I'll pass it onto you, my little bro. Embrace your awesomeness and stay true to who you are and don't let anyone else tell you different. Just be the best Musaki you can be."

Everyone, including Musaki himself was shocked and floored to hear something straight out of Po's mouth, giving Musaki encouraging wisdom and advice and Shifu blurted out, "For once, you finally said something that actually makes sense."

"I got it from you." Po added.

Despite the little compliment Po gave to Shifu, his focus was on Musaki as he went over to him and told him, "If your father sees you right now, I know that he'll be very proud of you just as we all are. Do your best and don't let anything deter you throughout this competition for I know you will come back victorious."

Musaki smiled at Shifu for a second and then told him, "You're like another father to me, Shifu. You may not replace my dad, but I'm just honored to be your student...as well as your adopted son. And also a great fit for the Bushido-Akio clan."

That warmed up Shifu's heart to hear that coming from Musaki because he did feel like there's a personal, emotional connection towards him since he first arrived at the Jade Palace when he was 13 and through the years, Musaki has come full circle throughout and he grew into the young person he is now. He smiled and said, "You've grown a lot over the years, Musaki. And I am very glad to see who you are right now."

And then, Tigress was the last one to say something to him. Although the talk Musaki gave him almost lifted her boost, she was still afraid to say anything to him because she's not sure how his reaction would be. She wasn't quite sure what to say and Musaki was waiting for an answer coming from her.

She lets out a huge sigh and then said, "This is very hard for me to say what I want to say to you."

Musaki could tell that she was still distancing herself away from supporting him and he said, "It's cool, Tigress."

And just like that, her fears took over her and she lets that opportunity slip out of her claws and as Musaki gathered up his stuff, he looks at all of them and he said, "Wish me luck, guys."

He bows to them and they bowed to him back as Musaki departs from the steps, Tigress felt a huge spawn of regret of not coming up with words to say to encourage Musaki for the kung-fu competition because she still feels guilt over treating Musaki horribly since he first arrived at the Jade Palace nearly 4 years ago and that she didn't deserve his kindness and respect. She lets out a big sigh and Po could tell that it was definitely bothering her immediately.

"You really wanted to wish him good luck, did you?" asked Po.

Tigress looked at Po in the eyes and replied, "Yes. But after the way I've treated him for years, I just don't want to hurt him again. I don't deserve his kindness...so I let it slip away. It's too late now."

He patted her in the shoulder and said, "You still have a chance because he's still walking down those steps. It's never too late for anything, Tigress."

Those words definitely brought out some encouragement for her and without warning, she walked towards the steps and she stills sees Musaki walking down and she quickly went in front of him and told him, "I want to say that...I wish you in all the best in everything you do. And I hope you'll make all of us proud no matter what. And also...I'm honored to call you my little brother."

It warmed up Musaki's heart to hear those come out of the one member of the Furious Five that he strongly dislikes when he was an orphan and he finally said, "It took ya that long to actually give me words of encouragement?"

"Yes." Tigress replied.

Musaki smiled at her and she said, "Well, it's a start."

Tigress then hugged him tightly and Musaki didn't know what to expect, but he accepted it anyway and hugged her as well. Then, he could see she was still holding him and said, "Tigress...you can let go now."

She broke off the hug and chuckled nervously, saying, "Sorry. That was out of my conduct."

"Hey, don't be. Just let that side of you come out more often...if you want to." Musaki added.

Tigress nodded her head and said, "I promise."

Just then, Musaki made his way out of the palace steps, while Tigress watched him from behind and just thought to herself, 'You're the redefinition of a strong warrior; kind, true and optimistic. I wish I can learn it from you.'

"Good luck...Lil' Saki." Tigress said, softly.

Suddenly, Po immediately blurted out, "Whoa-ho! Tigress finally said 'Lil' Saki!' I knew you were a sourpuss!"

Tigress immediately ran up to Po, crawled between his legs and raised her head directly towards Po's nuts, in which Po cried out in pain whilst holding his crotch, whimpering like a little baby.

Tigress chuckled softly and said, "It's not everyday I learn a fighting skill from Musaki."

"That explains so much." Po said, in a squeaky tone.

* * *

Did Tigress actually use some of Musaki's tricks? Pretty hilarious though? Musaki's adventure begins!


	3. Big Welcome

And Musaki heads to Shanghai Secluded Valley where the competition begins!

* * *

Chapter 3: Big Welcome

Minutes have passed and Musaki walked out of the Valley of Peace to make his way to Shanghai Secluded Valley for the kung-fu competition and he felt a mixture of excitement, happiness, anxiety and a lot of nervousness all rolled into one as he could not believe that this was actually happening. He took a deep breath and tried to ease his nervousness by thinking about his fellow kung-fu family cheering him on. Once the image played on his mind, a surge of confidence rushed into his adrenaline and that he can get through his own anxiousness.

In fact, just the thought of participating in his first kung-fu competition made him feel completely honored to be a part of something that has been going on for years, despte the fact that he's been practicing kung-fu most of his life. The fact that someone who's lost his parents at age three, made the Jade Palace his home since age 13 and adapting into a great life really made Musaki realize how far he's come in a space of 14 years.

Soon enough, he looked up and saw some of Uncle Mako's traveling dragons coming in and it didn't take long for Musaki to realize that his uncle was sitting on one black and grey dragon and he lets out a slight chuckle and said, "Hey, uncle. You coming too?"

Mako looks up at his nephew and said with a smile, "Seeing you participate in a kung-fu competition? I would not even miss it for the world."

Musaki smiled at that and Mako suggested to his nephew to take the orange dragon and when he looks up, he could see that orange dragon staring directly at him and Musaki wasn't sure about that, but when it offered hi to hop on his wings, Musaki happily obliged to do as he climbed up on his back and it wasn't long until it was cleared for takeoff.

Both dragons flew up to the sky and made their way to Shanghai Secluded Valley and as Musaki looks back, he sees that he's much further away from the Valley of Peace and when he looks down at the ground, he could tell that he's close to a thousand feet from the ground and that's saying a lot. But it was totally worth going back to his birth home for whatever lies ahead of him.

Mako looks behind and he could see his nephew taking in the sheer beauty of the the skies while his traveling dragon was flying and he asked, "Enjoying the view, Saki-boy?"

Musaki looks up at his uncle and replied, "It's growing on me."

"You know, this was one of your dad's favorite things...riding on a dragon. He finds it a lot better than just walking and taking a boat ride...because he can see parts of the world in a different light, at least from off the ground."

It was pretty much intriguing for Musaki to hear that his dad likes riding around dragons and it made him feel very surprised to know that it's something he loved to do. And with seeing every view above his way, he can see why. He lets out a chuckle and looked at the orange dragon and smiled at him a little.

"Pretty awesome, huh?" asked Mako.

"Yeah, I'll say." Musaki replied, happily.

Mako started laughing heartily and Musaki kept smiling as they soldiered on to the Valley and not 10 minutes in and they could see their destination and Mako landed first and Musaki followed behind his uncle and when they landed, most of them were surprised to see Mako come by and as they greeted him, Musaki got off the dragon and the entire valley stopped as they saw him come and everyone lets out a big cheer for his welcome.

Musaki did not expect that to happen and as they surrounded him, many of them claimed that he could win the title of the kung-fu competition just like his dad and some said that it's an honor for him to participate in something epic as this.

Just as he starts walking towards the Valley, he made his way to the Rai Song Stadium where he sees that this is where the entire tournament will be held at and from the looks of it, it's the biggest one he's ever seen before. As he walked in, it was a huge as the poster claimed it could be.

"Sweet..." Musaki said.

"Hello, grandson!"

Just then, Musaki turns around and sees his grandfather standing above the stadium seats and he lets out a smile and said, "Hey, grandpa!"

With that, his grandfather backflipped out of the seats and into the stadium as he comes forward to give Musaki a hug. He chuckled softly and took a good look at his grandson and said, "Why, look at you. You look just like your father did when he was your age."

Musaki chuckled softly at that comment and replied, "Thanks...I think."

"I am glad that you have decided to participate in this tournament, Xing-Fu. Some people wanted to see you as the winner of this competition, but I know for a fact that it's just an honor for you to come here and take part in it." his grandfather said.

"That's pretty much why I came. But...why do they say I'm like next in line to achieve kung-fu accomplishment?" asked Musaki.

His grandfather stared at him and replied, "The Bushido-Akio clan dates back centuries when us Chinese pandas emigrated to Japan in hopes of a better life and each century, one member of the Bushido-Akio clan managed to participate in something like this to see who gets honor, but not for China. For ourselves and also for our family. Regardless if one either wins or loses, they have not lost their sense of accomplishment for others. Other than that, there are tons of rumors about it and some of it's true and some of it's false. And the reason they claim it is because the bloodline wants the accolades of China, but unless they realize the meaning behind it, they'll never get anywhere being humble. So you see, it's not so much about fame, but also about integrity and either you have it or you don't. And I say...you indeed do have a gift. Always use it for good and never take any advantage of it."

Those words started to sink into Musaki and understood it correctly and his grandfather smiled at him and he said, "I know I'll never take my skills for granted, but I'll do you proud."

"I know you will and do yourself proud too. For you cannot be a warrior on the outside if you're not one on the inside."

His grandfather pats Musaki on the back and both of them walked out of the stadium as the rest of the citizens prep the entire place for the competition and as they left, Musaki heads towards another part of the Valley on his way to his grandparent's house and as soon as he set his bags to the guest room and made his way out, he seeks a little gift that's hanging on the side of the door and when he got it down, it reads, 'Your father would've wanted you to have this. Win or lose, always wear it proudly, Xing-Fu.'

When he opened it up, it was a gold and silver necklace and when he opened it, he seeks a picture of his parents and also himself as a baby cub and understood that no matter where he goes or where his parents will be, he'll always have a piece of them all the time. He puts it on his neck and sees that it's definitely something he could always take with to keep his parent's memories alive.

"I'll always treasure this." Musaki whispered.

Then, he heads out for a while and to his surprise, he seeks his good friend Shao walking by and said, "Yo, Xing-Fu!"

Musaki smiled at him and said, "Yo, Shao! What's happening, man?"

Both of them did their handshake wher they knuckle-touched each other and raise their hands while making an explosion sound and started laughing with each other and Shao said, "Pumped for the event?"

"Why would I not be? It's just an honor to be here." Musaki replied.

Shao chuckled softly and said, "I know, right? I couldn't believe it myself when I found out that you...of all people...would participate in this because of your dad. Looks like the bloodline is flowing."

"Aw, come on, dude. You know for a fact that I don't obsess with winning." Musaki said.

"I'm just messing with ya! But I know your fighting skills will blow everyone away and as far as I can tell, the entire valley will have their minds blown." Shao said, excitedly.

Musaki chuckled softly and said, "Thanks for telling me that."

"Yeah, my dad should be expecting me to meet up with the contestants. Wanna come?" said Shao.

Musaki knew that there would be more skilled fighters near and far to compete with and with that enthusiasm, he quickly said, "Most definitely."

* * *

So...who will the contestants be?


	4. Meeting the Contestants

And here's the answer!

* * *

Chapter 4: Meeting the Contestants

Musaki and Shao walked their way to some parts of the Valley to find where they'll meet the contestants and they were talking on the way there, just sharing each other's jokes and stuff. Shao then asked, "So you looking forward to coming back to Secluded Valley next year?"

Musaki hesitated to even answer that question and only said, "I don't really know. Part of me would love to come back to my roots, but another part of me wants to stay in the Valley of Peace for a while...and it would be really sad to leave the Jade Palace behind."

Shao nodded his head in understanding about the latter part of his choice and he said, "Well, I can't tell you what to do, though. Just choose in what you believe is right in your heart and it'll take off from there."

Musaki knew that this will be another point in his life he'll face where he will eventually turn 18 and make some decisions on his own. It could be a little scary for him because he just got used to be 17 for a short period of time, but he's starting off on the right track to independence. But whatever will happen...he's got the support of his Jade Palace family. That's how he sees them as...his family.

Just then, they entered inside the Shanghai Valley Temple and to Musaki's surprise, there are a whole lot of contestants there; all between the ages of 12 through 18 around to participate in this kung-fu competition and he's never seen a number like this before and it was a little bit intimidating for him, but there was no need for that because he's already honored to be in the same boat as all of them, despite the fact that he studied kung-fu for part of his life.

"Whoa...there are so many of them." Musaki said, in astonishment.

Shao chuckled softly and said, "It's awesome, isn't it? I'll let my dad know you're here."

As Shao walks off, Musaki took some time to walk around to meet a few of them because he knows that there's gonna be some stiff competition coming in and some of those could be opponents, so he has to kep himself in the game while still staying true to himself. Just then, a white and blue wolf; 16 years of age, wears a chinese vest with a picture of a moon in front of it, grey shorts, has wild spiky hair, about 5'6, weighing in at 170 pounds; came behind Musaki and when he looks at him, he asked, "Are you new here?"

"No, this is my hometown...well, away from my current hometown." Musaki answered.

The young wolf turned to him confusedly and didn't quite get the full gist of what it meant and asked, "What is your current hometown?"

"The Valley of Peace." Musaki replied.

That widened the young wolf's green-hazel eyes to hear this and he lets out a chuckle and asked, "Are you like one of the kung-fu masters from there?"

That was random for him to ask and all Musaki could do is chuckle nervously as he didn't want to give it away and he replied, "In training."

The young wolf chuckled softly and he said, "Well, this is my first time here in this place and I gotta be honest, I'm a little bit nervous about it."

"Sometimes it's good to be nervous...at least that's what I thought I heard. But it kinda helps when you're doing something really big, but you get through it really well." Musaki answered.

The wolf puts out his paw and said, "Name's Taji. What's yours?"

Musaki shook Taji's paw and replied, "Musaki."

"Nice to meet you, Musaki. I'm completely excited about this tournament." Taji said, happily.

Musaki chuckled softly and asked, "So...where ya from?"

Taji clears his throat and replied, "My family's originally from Tokyo, but I've been in China for pretty much 12 years now."

Musaki chuckled softly and added, "That's really awesome."

Just then, Shao comes back and brough Shin Hai with him and Shin was definitely happy to see Musaki come by and he said, "There's the future champ! Glad you could come, kid."

Musaki smiled a little and replied, "Glad I came too."

"You getting to know the contestants a little?" asked Shao.

"Yeah, I just met Taji."

Shao and Shin Hai looks at Taji for a second and then, Shin Hai tells Musaki, "You should see this guy do kung-fu. He's been interested in this at a very young age. Kinda makes yours look really simple."

Musaki looks up at Taji and he asked, "You good at kung-fu?"

Taji looks down on the ground to his feet and he softly replied, "Y-Yeah...I guess you could say that."

Musaki totally analyzed this kid and he could tell that he's really shy and he understood what that feeling is very easily and he said, "There's no need to be shy about your skills."

"Musaki's right. You don't really know how many people will come to see those skills." Shin Hai added.

"You think so?" asked Taji, a little hopeful.

Shin Hai chuckled and said, "I know so."

"I hope you're right."

Just then, the four of them sees a young boar, between 17 and 18 years of age, brown eyes, stands at 5'9, weighing at 198 pounds, wears a ripped grey t-shirt and some black pants and has a tattoo on his arm with a picture of a knuckle on it and said, "What up, non-fighters? Mojag is in da house, ready to eat up the competition!"

Then, he shows off some of the kung-fu moves to let everyone know who's boss and winks at some of the ladies, but only receive a scoff from them and said, "You'll fall for this winner."

Musaki looks up at Shin Hai and asked, "Who's he?"

Shin sighs exasperatedly and replied, "That's Mojag. This guy is good at kung-fu, but sometimes he uses it to show off his macho bravado to get girls and make everyone else's kung-fu a little bit more like making fools of themselves. The ironic thing is that the meaning of the name is 'Never silent' and judging by his appearance and his cocky smirk, I don't think he'll ever be silent."

Taji looks up at Musaki and he asked, "Why is that?"

"From what I heard, he said that he's obsessed with winning and his own muscles and abs, saying that he'll mate himself if he looks in the mirror with those attributes." Shao added.

Musaki rolls his eyes at that and he said, "That doesn't sound good. I think maybe he might need some attention."

"Too much of attention is never a good thing." Shin Hai said.

Shin Hai and Shao headed out for a bit while Taji looks around for a little bit, leaving Musaki walking around to meet some of the other contestants and suddenly, he accidently bumps into Mojag and he quickly said, "Sorry, didn't see you there, man."

Mojag groans exasperatedly and angrily said, "Why don't ya look where you're going?"

Musaki didn't know how to react to that outburst and he only said, "Okay..."

The young boar groans again and then, he stares at Musaki for the first time and he was pretty much shocked to see that this is the first time that he ever met a skinny panda before and he asked, "Where's your fat? Is it hidden underneath all this skin and bones?"

Then, Mojag started laughing at that and Musaki could see that this is obviously an immature joke he's playing and he just stayed calm throughout and all Musaki could say, "Nah, this is how I'm born with."

Mojag noticed that Musaki isn't that mad or offended by it, but rather let it slide and he said, "Dude, you should fight me for that verbal assault I just gave you."

"No, thanks. I'm good." Musaki said, smiling.

Mojag growls at him for not being mad in the first place and he said, "Come competition time, your panda butt is gonna be mine. And you'll be crying boo-hoo when I win and all the ladies will love me."

"Are you sure they won't run away from you after that attitude?" asked Musaki.

Mojag twitched his eye and wanted to take him down with his tusks, but wouldn't want to consider tiring himself out even before the competition starts and only said, "We'll have our time."

Musaki just smiled at him and he said, "Good timing too. Later, bro."

As Musaki walked away, Mojag was a little offended by how Musaki's taking it all in stride with whatever insult he threw in and felt like he was gonna break him no matter what once competition starts.

Later on, as he went on his way, there was a little argument comning in between Shao and an unknown person on one side and when he saw it, he sees a jackal, 18 years old, standing at 6'1, weighing at 200 pounds, wearing on black t-shirt and some dark blue jeans and wearing a bandana on his head going off at Shao about when the competition will start.

"Listen, we don't start off the competition until the opening ceremony comes in. You'll have to wait until tomorrow morning." Shao said, in the calmest way possible.

The jackal wasn't gonna take any measures for his impatience and said, "Dude, I didn't come all this way to Korea for nothing! And you have the nerve to tell me you don't start today?"

"Sorry, competition rulebook."

Just then, Musaki steps in and plans to stop this fight and he said, "Is there a problem here, Shao?"

Shao was relieved when he saw Musaki come by and he said, "No probs, Musaki. This guy was just making his way here."

The jackal snarls at Musaki for a minute, but gets shocked when he found out who he really is...Xing-Fu Musaki Ko-Kanji Bushido-Akio Meng Cheng Xi-Wang...the person 'rumored' to be the 20th bloodline of participating in the kung-fu competition after his father and that severely pissed him off and he walks up to him and asked, "You're the person that plans to win the entire competition?"

Musaki calmly answered, "I wouldn't say that exactly. I'm just honored to be here."

"I just wanna let you know...nobody is better than me...Kang-Dae. If you think you're gonna take me down because you're next in line for your father's line, you've got another thing coming!"

Musaki didn't really know how to react after Kang-Dae notices of his presence and was a little curious to know how he even figured it out for himself, but even something like that didn't really deter him for doing what he's setting out to do. He only said, "By any chance, is that really bothering you? You seem a little tense."

"Dude, you do not know me! I always take down the losers and I end up winning every fight! I'm the real badass here!" Kang-Dae shouted.

"I see the bad. Is it attached to the latter part too?" asked Musaki.

The jackal growled at him, pertaining to it as an insult and he grabbed Musaki by the shoulder and he said, "You need to learn some manners, youngling! You do not want to see me pissed and that is usually a death wish!"

Shao immediately came to him and said, "Put him down now!"

"This is none of your business!" Kang-Dae exclaimed, angrily.

Shao growls at him lightly and he said, "This is your second warning. Put him down otherwise you'll be immediately disqualified."

That didn't sit well with Kang-Dae when he heard the term 'disqualified' come out of Shao and with a slight growl, he sets Musaki down, but not before he says to him, "This isn't over! Just be lucky you got saved by this wolf dude. Prepare to get your ass kicked by me and this will prove that I'm still a badass!"

Musaki nodded his head and just shook it off like it was nothing, which left the jackal a little surprised that there was no signs of fear or intimidation in him and he asked, "Why aren't you shaking?"

"Should I have to? There's nothing you could do to make me back down from this competition. I have to honor my father's legacy. So I don't have to respond to your childish games." Musaki said.

Kang-Dae was really outraged that he took those shots as nothing and just walks away angry and all Musaki could do is just roll his eyes, then he turned to Shao and asked, "You good?"

Shao took a deep breath and he was also surprised at how Musaki was never confrontative nor combative towards him and only kept his cool throughout this ordeal and replied, "Yeah. You handled that really well, Xing-Fu."

"4 years of dealing with Tigress' anger issues helped me to understand that there are some people that just wanna break you down. You could make them cry, but you can never make them quit." Musaki responded.

Those words definitely stuck with Shao and he said, "I think I might use that for later in life."

As Musaki heads another way, he sees Kang-Dae shoving off someone else and Musaki was quick to find out and put a stop to it and to his surprise, Musaki sees that the jackal was knock down a young lion, 14 years old, dark orange fur, only wears khaki shorts, about 5'8, weighing in at 195 pounds and wears a chinese necklace; and tried to get away from the jackal, but keeps getting yanked by the tail by him.

Musaki comes behind Kang-Dae and he said, "Leave the guy alone."

The young lion took a deep breath of exhale and said, "I didn't come here to cause any trouble. I just wanted to know if this was the place."

Kang-Dae eventually lets go of the young lion's tail and only stares at Musaki begrudingly and walks off the premises and he comes to his aid and asked, "You okay?"

The young lion sighed again and he looked at Musaki for the first time and he said, "I think so. I just came to Shanghai Secluded Valley to find where I can meet the contestants of this kung-fu competition."

"Yeah, this is the place. I'm Musaki. What's yours?"

Musaki stuck his paw out and the lion was quick to shake his as well and replied, "I'm Liu Shang."

"Nice to meet ya, man. You from around here?" asked Musaki.

Liu Shang sighed softly and he said, "Nah. I just left my home behind...for good."

Musaki was surprised to hear this come out of Liu Shang and he asked, "Why's that?"

The young lion tried to hide his personal secret from Musaki and somehow, Musaki already got the message down pat that it might be a little too soon to see the reasons why. Liu Shang then told him, "But the real reason why I'm here is that I just want to show that even though I'm a lion, I have a chance to be something that I'm destined to be...just a somebody, you know?"

"Are you good at kung-fu?" asked Musaki.

Luiu Shang laughs softly and he responded, "Sorta. But I don't really brag about it too much. I don't really show off my skills like everyone else here...just because I'm the youngest one around here."

"That's saying something." Musaki added.

"You from around here?" asked Liu Shang.

Musaki cleared his throat and said, "Well, I was originally from here...but now I live in the Valley of Peace. I do get a chance to come here every now and then."

"That's cool. I just hope that my skills will get me somewhere I need to be." Liu Shang added, in a hopeful voice.

Musaki smiled at him and said, "Hey, just be grateful for your skills, man. And don't let anything or anyone tell you differently or stop you from anything you can accomplish. I think if you stay true to yourself and achieve what you want to achieve, I think you'll be on the right track. Just believe in yourself and your skills no matter what."

Liu Shang never expected to hear some words come out of Musaki before and he immediately gained some self-confidence within himself and it brought him to a point that no matter how far he'll come, he'll accomplish what he'll set out to accomplish. The young lion chuckled softly and said, "I'll remember that."

Just then, Musaki and Liu Shang just kept talking throughout and Shao could definitely see that there's a growing friendship between the two and never expected that a panda could be friends with a lion, but as long as he's there, anything might be possible.

Just then, Oak Sung stepped in and he stood towards the stage, capturing everyone's attention and said, "Everyone, listen up. We start the opening ceremony early tomorrow morning, so get some rest later tonight. You're gonna need it and just remember, that it doesn't matter about what you got, it's what you will gain after this endurance which is heart, honor and integrity while staying true to yourself and your ability."

The words definitely resonated with all of the contestants as they despersed out of the temple and as Musaki headed to his grandparent's house, he sees Liu Shang coming from behind and said, "Excited about the competition?"

"Very excited." Musaki replied.

He comes closer to him and he stuck out his paw, in hopes that the competition won't get in the way their new-found friendship and he said, "It's for good luck. No matter who's gonna be the winner, we'll always be on top."

Musaki accepted that and he shook Liu's paw and said, "May the best warrior win, my friend."

* * *

A little help from Joe 'Po' Navark on developing the characters (although I should point out that Taji was developed on my own, hope you're cool with it) where you have Liu Shang, the modest and humble yet skilled fighter lion, Mojag, the cocky boar and Kang-Dae, the egotistical winning obsessed jackal. And with that...the competition is coming!


	5. Opening Ceremony

And here's the first day of the tournament!

* * *

Chapter 5: The Opening Ceremony

The next morning, as early sunrise starts to come up, everyone in Shanghai Secluded Valley was ready to take hold of the introduction to the kung-fu competition and for Musaki, that totally meant this this was it. As he walked along with the rest of the crowd, he seeks Taji from behind and when he turns around, Taji was ecstatic to see him and said, "Hey, Musaki!"

"Good morning, Taj." Musaki greeted.

Taji chuckled softly at that nickname he gave him and figured that it pretty much stuck with him and he said, "It's not everyday that they don't call me that name."

"Oh, really?"

Taji nodded his head and said, "Yep. Most of my friends from where I'm from call me Taj, T.J.; you know, things like that."

Musaki chuckled softly at this and he said, "Awesome, man."

Just then, in comes Kang-Dae and as he looks at both Musaki and Taji, he walked past them with a menacing look in his eyes, but he's more focused on Musaki and motioned his fist to make sure he means business. He snarled at him and said, "You...you're mine."

Musaki just shook it off like no one's business as they kept walking and Taji was surprised at how he managed to handle it so well and he asked, "What's his deal anyway?"

"Eh, he's just having a bad morning." Musaki replied.

Taji sighed heavily and said, "Yeah, I know that guy. He always wants to win a fight whether it's by innocent bystanders or even the innocent. I was his target whenever I walk through my hometown streets and he was always the first one that calls me out, demanding to fight me or even make my life miserable. Even more ironic is that he's a street-fighter."

That shocked Musaki to the core to hear him say that Kang-Dae is a street-fighter and never knew he came across one, which is how he can tell from his arrogant attitude and street machismo bravado smart-wise. Taji then went on to say, "Doesn't that make you sick to see that you use kung-fu for the wrong reasons?"

"Oh, totally." Musaki agreed.

And just then, in comes Liu Shang coming that near Musaki and he was surprised to see him and he said, "Hey, Musaki."

Musaki turns around and sees Liu Shang in front of him and said, "What's up, Liu?"

The young lion chuckled softly and replied, "Just looking forward to the opening ceremony of this competition."

"Yeah, me too." Musaki added.

Just then, Musaki turns to Taji, who has a little curious look on his face and said to Liu Shang, "Taji, this is Liu Shang. Liu Shang, Taji. He's one of the contestants too."

"Hey, nice to meet you." Taji said.

Liu Shang shook his paw and happily said, "Yeah, you too. I'm really looking forward to battle with you guys."

As soon as they all hit the Rai Song Stadium, a crowd of 2.5 million people showed up for this event and the contestants all sat to the front of the seats, in which a certain spot is called 'Contestant's Row' appears. And as the sun began to rise, in comes Oak Sung coming in, wearing a custom blue japanese robe with a straw hat on his head, making the crowd cheer and applaud loudly, including Musaki, for which he is excited to see that his grandfather is there.

As he stood there, he waved at all the people and then signaled them for his attention and Oak Sung went on saying, "Good morning, everyone. I know that you are all excited to take part in this event that has been going on for generations now. Many of you will remember my son, Sakamoto Bushido-Akio..."

"Sakamoto Bushido-Akio, may he rest in peace." the crowd stated.

"...that he used to be a contestant for this event and he was the 19th family member of this clan to pertain taking part in it. He won some fights and he lost some, but those things never detered him because he was very humble and always gracious to be a part of something grand. Furthermore, he was ready to be a humble warrior that keeps his feet off the ground and will fight for honor, even though he wants to use them for a good purpose. Just recently, we have gotten half of our family back...Xing-Fu Musaki Ko-Kanji Bushido-Akio Meng Cheng Xi-Wang has resurfaced when he set foot back to us the past year along with his adopted family members in tow. Many of you have heard of the notorious warriors in China, the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior..."

All of the crowd went double crazy when they heard Oak Sung mention them and Musaki was the only one in the crowd that wasn't surprised when his grandfather mentioned it to the crowd because he was talking about his adopted family anyway.

"And Master Shifu...that they took my grandson in with them after 10 years of being in an orphanage after both of his parents were killed by Tai Lung since he was three. After 14 years, we have gotten our family back and we should also remember that Xing-Fu is currently the 20th member of the Bushido-Akio clan to enter this feat. Some have rumored that he might win this competition, but rest assured, my grandson will take whatever final result will be."

All of the crowd clapped and cheered for Musaki and he never anticipated something like this to come across to give him a huge mention, but he was flattered by it regardless.

And then, Oak Sung decided to bring in something to start off the competition with and he said, "And now, I will bring out one quote that my son had made before he retired from this sport at the age of 18."

He cleared his throat and began to say, "Remember that we're all winners no matter what and don't let anything like this change who you are. Even though some believe that they'll fight for the title, do not let anything stand in your way. And you'll always be a warrior to your family and your friends while still being a good person and stay true to who you are. It's not so much the moves you have, it's how far you'll come to accomplish something you will accomplish and be proud of yourselves, no matter how many times you fall and get back up. Win or lose, we're all warriors."

Everyone took a minute of silence to take in whatever Sakamoto put into that speech and for Musaki, he knows that it's all true.

After that, Shao and Shin Hai came to the stage to set up the fireworks for this stadium and as they flew up, they can already tell that the competition has just begun.

"And with that, we are ready for the tournament!" Oak Sung exclaimed, while the crowd started cheering and clapping all over the stadium.

* * *

Now how's that to kick start off the awesomeness! Here's where the games begin!


	6. The Battle Starts!

Warning: some parts of this chapter may have a little swearing. Sorry! But this is the start of the competition!

* * *

Chapter 6: The Battle Starts!

Hours after the opening ceremony, every single contestant gathered themselves up for their first battle and spar and Musaki was definitely stoked up to get himself set and ready for it. He lets out a deep breath and tried to keep himself calm as much as he can and then, Mako comes behind him and he wanted to give his nephew some much needed advice.

"Just remember...always stay focused on your skills, keep your eyes focused on your enemy at all times, relax your muscles but also use them for strengths and imagine you're battling one of the members of the Furious Five." Mako said.

The latter part was definitely kicking in as he imagined him taking down Tigress in his mind and that gave him the motivation he needs to succeed in the first round. He puts on his Japanese bandana and turns to his uncle and said, "Wish me luck."

Mako patted his head and then, he puts his paw on Musaki's shoulder and said, "I'm proud of you, nephew. Now give them a dosage of Bushido-Akio kickass."

Musaki nodded at that statement and he said, "Only if they don't kick mine first."

As the gong sounds, Musaki walks his way through the colisseum and as soon as he stepped foot out of there, the crowd cheered loudly for him and for Musaki, it felt like he was doing this for his dad, but also for himself as well. He then walks through one area of the stage and just then, he brought his A-game face on and was looking forward to see who's gonna be first.

"Okay, everyone...Here we have Xing-Fu Musaki Ko-Kanji Bushido-Akio Meng Cheng Xi-Wang in this corner..." the announcer added.

That made the crowd go nuts when they saw him standing there and even his cousins; Kato, Max, Cody, Samurai, Phoenix, Tsunami and several others were cheering for him and was waiting to see who's his opponent.

"And on the other corner...we have Mojag."

Just then, Mojag struts his way there, making flashy poses as he goes, making almost the entire crowd boo and jeer at his arrogance and sleazy appearance and when he winked at the girls, most of them were not even paying attention to him in the crowd and Musaki couldn't help but agree with them as he shook his head in disgust at that, but decided to keep this out of the way and focus on his skills.

As Mojag faces Musaki, the young boar snorts at him and said, "Nice bandana. Where'd you get it, the ancient store of lameness?"

Musaki never paid the insults any attention and just shook them off like it was nothing and then he said, "I'd insult you back, but it's not my place to do so here...although the girls ignoring your introduction doesn't help your case."

Mojag lets out an angry snort at him for that remark and he said, "Funny. We'll see who will have the last laugh when I'm through with you because I'm hot, I'm awesome and I've got swag! And I'm hot! Ladies love the hotness!"

"Dude...not why we're here." Musaki said, getting a little annoyed.

Mojag really wasn't gonna waste his time talking anyway, so he was ready to take him down superhard as ever and when the announcer told them to start, Mojag immediately charged him with his tusks, but Musaki dodged them with his swirling-lynx kicks, which amazed the entire crowd and shocked Mojag and Musaki immediately kicked him in the face and backflipped him down pat.

The crowd went absoultely nuts for Musaki's moves and as Mojag got himself up, he stared at Musaki and said, "I don't believe it!"

"Yeah, well believe it, punk!" Mako suddenly shouted from the audience.

Mojag wasted no time to beat him again, so he grabbed Musaki's fist and flipped him down, threw him and kicked him in mid-air, but what he didn't know is that Musaki's got something up his sleeve and he held onto the railings near the stairs of the audience, did a handstand and then backflipped his way down back to the stadium and bodyslammed Mojag down.

Mojag punched him in the stomach, but that didn't stop Musaki from still fighting him as he used his kung-fu poses to do a footkick and he leaped to his feet and did a corkscrew move that resulted in kicking him in the stomach, but Mojag had other ideas. He leaped up to his feet and he charged at him, pummeling him down to the ground, kicking and punching him, but just as he was about to use a big move on him, Musaki suddenly vanished out of thin air.

He gets up and he's not around the stadium, leaving audiences wondering where he could've been. As Mojag searches for him, he's completely unaware that Musaki was right behind him and after he tapped him on the shoulder, Mojag turns around and he was shocked to see Musaki there and without warning, Mojag wanted to punch him out, but Musaki had other plans. He grabbed his fist and threw him in the air, then he jumps up and slams him down to the ground.

The entire crowd just went crazy for Musaki as he took down Mojag very quickly and as the boar got himself up, he grunts heavily and then the announcer said, "Mojag is unable to battle, Musaki takes the first round!"

The entire crowd cheered for Musaki and he bowed to them all and felt very humbled to be a part of something amazing as this. Mojag growls at Musaki lowly and he couldn't believe that he was being taken down by him. But he had to admit, those were some crazy moves.

Next up, Musaki takes down the Kao-Shung twins; both 15, red foxes and male as they planned to take Musaki down with their amazing moves, but Musaki used his kung-fu attacks to overpower his opponents and both of the twins did not want to come out defeated, so they used their Kao-Shung signature move called Kao Twist, where they twisted around and took down Musaki in a headlock. As Musaki laid down on the ground, both twins were shocked that he blocked it with his back leg and just swing it back to them, with causes them to be defeated.

Later on, Mojag took down Kang-Dae with his hardcore moves, but the jackal was not ready to be silenced. He grabbed Mojag's leg and swung it around as hard as he could and kicked him in mid-air. Suddenly, Mojag brought a ginormous edge to his stamina by kicking Kang-Dae multiple times in one sitting, but both of them were strong and bold enough to bring it all down and kicked, punched and knocked themselves out and Mojag finished him off by throwing him to the ground.

Just then, Taji came out and fought with Mai Su, a female leopard, 13 years of age, planning on using a hard maneuver to take her down when he leaped in front of her and swung her down by grabbing her leg and kicking her in the air, but Mai Su landed on her feet and grabbed Taji's tail, which made him howl and she kicked him in the face, but Taji bounced back as he leaped towards the wall and just took her down in no second flat.

He looked at her and said, "I would've finished you easily if you weren't so good-looking."

She pushed him down to the ground and pinned him and then she said, "You're so lucky that you're innocent looking."

He pinned her back and completely brought her down without words and completely kicked her and used a backflip trick and knocked her out. He then said, very sarcastically, "Whoops...I did it again."

And also, Liu Shang comes in battling with Jaa Mick, 17 years of age, a Bengal tiger and Jaa wasted no time taking him down a notch with moves that are much more fierce and definitely unstoppable as he charged at the young lion. After getting several blows from Jaa, Liu came back swinging when he punched him straight in the face and with that, the battle between two cats were on. Liu and Jaa faced each other and as they looked at themselves straight in the eyes, they leaped up in the air and scratched themselves down, and kicked each other. Jaa fiercely leaped up to finish him off, but Liu grabbed him by the paw and threw him across the air and he jumps up in the air and used his back legs to shove him smackdown o the ground.

Jaa growls at him and Liu lets out a big roar as they both came charging at each other and Liu flipped him, swung him down and dodges every single one of Jaa's shots. And then, Jaa goes underneath him and plans to kick him on the stomach, but Liu poked his head with his tail and while Jaa was distracted, Liu sets his body down to his and then he gets up and swings at him directly. Jaa wasn't gonna give up easily so he kept running to him, planning to use his claws to scratch him, but Liu made a backflip and he kicked him down to the ground, pinning him down for the count.

Everyone was shocked and surprised that this lion was a skilled fighter in his own right and it shocked Musaki the most as he never expected him to be this experienced. It was like seeing a battle with Tigress, only if she was a lion dude with a half mane and more masculine. He chuckled softly and said, "Epic..."

"And with that...Liu Shang concludes this first tournament of the day as the biggest ranking fighter!" the announcer exclaimed.

Everyone cheered and applauded for Liu Shang and as he looks around and sees all of the people rooting for him, it was something he never expected before. And that obviously meant a lot to him much more and he lets out a smile and thought that they were cheering for someone else, but instead it was him.

After the first day, Musaki was a little bit exhausted from that first battle and as he set out to his grandparent's place, Taji walks up to him and he said, "Musaki, you were awesome! You took Mojag down like a sack of rice."

Taji reenacted some of Musaki's moves and all Musaki could do is just smile and chuckle a little and he said, "Aw, thanks. So did you."

"Yeah, that leopard's awesome, but I didn't think I had a chance at taking her down." Taji said, smiling.

"But you did anyway. You told me that you were shy about showing people your skills, but it seems as though you broke out of it on your own." Musaki added.

Taji widened his eyes as he took in some words that Musaki put in and that's when he realized that his shyness vanished quickly while taking down the leopard and he said, "Yeah, I did. I guess I am as good as I thought I was."

"Dude, you are."

Taji chuckled softly and said, "But not as good as Liu Shang. I've never seen a lion do kung-fu like this before."

"Neither have I. I was blown away by his moves and even more, how he managed to do them so well." Musaki added.

Just then, Liu Shang caught up with Musaki and Taji as they headed towards another part of the Valley and he asked Musaki, "So...how was I?"

Musaki chuckled slightly and said, "Dude, you were epic! Like if you could take down Tigress with that move, you'd be the new leader of the Furious Five...if there was a challenge for that."

Liu Shang was a little bit modest about his skills and said, "Who, me? Nah, come on."

Taji happily disagrees with what Liu just said and told him, "Yeah, man. You kicked that tiger's butt hard. I never thought lions would bounce back and kick serious tiger boot-ay!"

Liu Shang chuckled softly and then turns to Musaki and said, "If anything, I thought you were the best skilled fighter."

Musaki rolled his eyes and he said, "Well, either way, we're all skilled fighters today. I am definitely looking forward to tomorrow."

* * *

If there was ever a list of songs to describe the battle montage: it'd have to be 'Starships' from Nicki Minaj, 'Feel So Close' from Calvin Harris and 'We Are Young' from fun. You got other song suggestions for this battle scene? If so, list them as you review! Well, there's more where that came from!


	7. Second Round

Here's another second round! Play your favorite songs while you're reading them to make it like an awesome soundtrack! List them as you review as well!

* * *

Chapter 7: Second Round

As the next day goes on, all of the contestants came back to the stadium to take part in another round of the competition and Musaki was eager to throw down yet again because his first match was a success with random competitors. He chuckled softly as he entered in there and he sees his grandfather coming in front of him and he said, "Hey, grandpa."

"Xing-Fu! Great match yesterday. I can see you've still got some training skills that you had back at the Jade Palace." his grandfather said.

Musaki kept smiling and just replied, "Thanks. I can't believer that everyone in the crowd would be so supportive of me."

"That's because of your father's legacy. But remember...do not get too concerned with winning. Only concentrate on what you're doing and how to hold your own in your skills." his grandfather added.

Musaki nodded his head in understanding and took in everything his grandfather said and planned to use that when he performs his stance. He said, "I will."

His grandfather pats him in the head and said, "Now just go out there and show them what you can do. Never be afraid, do the best you can and most importantly...give the opponents some of Xing-Fu kickass."

Musaki was surprised at that just came out of his grandfather's mouth and he said, "Grandpa!"

Oak Sung chuckled softly and said, "What, you think I don't have the spirit of a young warrior?"

"No, but you got the attitude down-pat." Musaki added.

The horn blares for the start of the competition and Musaki walked through the entrance of the stadium and when he came in, the crowd kept roaring with excitement and anticipation for this tournament to start off. And he was pleasantly surprised to see Kiba, Toboe, Hige and Tsume there in the crowd cheering him on, especially Kiba.

"Go get them, Musaki! Open up a can of panda whoop-ass!" Kiba shouted.

Musaki didn't really expect that to come out of Kiba's mouth, but he knew it meant 'kick butt', so he just took it all in stride and gave him a thumbs-up. Then, he stood on one end of the stadium, took a deep breath and let his mind concentrate on who's gonna be the first one to take down and when that started, he saw Kang-Dae coming in this time as Musaki's opponent.

Musaki wasn't surprised that he was there and Kang-Dae was just looking forward to make him lose as harder as he could. The jackal growls at him angrily and said, "I look forward to crushing you and blowing you out of the competition!"

Musaki just clears his throat and he said, "Yeah, me too. Well, may the best fighter win."

Kang-Dae did not take Musaki's optimistic attitude really well and he just snarls at him and said, "Let's just fight! I've been waiting 12 hours for this!"

As they began, Kang-Dae cornered Musaki and pushed him down to the ground and used most of his flips, kicks and punches to throw at him, but Musaki dodged them with great force and he grabbed the jackal's paw and just flipped him down to the ground, then threw him, kicked him around with his feet and shoved him down.

The jackal gets himself up and didn't really know how to respond to the fact that Musaki's got some moves and he asked, "How did you...where did you...Who taught you...?"

"I'll never tell." Musaki said, smiling.

Kang-Dae growled angrily and knew that he messed with the wrong competitor and he shouted, "Now it's personal!"

He charged at him and kicked him down harder, punched him, shoved him, beat him down and then he flipped him as hard as he could, but Musaki knows when not to give in. He tricked Kang-Dae out while he grabbed him in the back and he ended up twisting himself around and crawling underneath his ankles and punched him in the face.

Musaki went over and did some backflips and then exposed his blue and white orb coming at him and continuously brought Kang-Dae down, in a rapid-fire fighting move where he does a corkscrew kick in the air and landed on the jackal's shin and pinned him down to the ground.

As Musaki lets got of him, Kang-Dae groaned heavily as he laid there in defeat and with that, the crowd definitely rooted for Musaki and he bowed down to them as a response. Seconds later, Kang-Dae gets himself up, a little shaken that Musaki has some insane moves that he never really expected to see before.

"How the hell did you learn all those moves?" Kang-Dae shouted angrily.

Musaki chuckled softly and he replied, "Like I said, I'll never tell."

Both of them went off in opposite directions as the exited out of the stadium and Kang-Dae was really pissed that he had to lose to Musaki and he felt like everyone in the crowd is mocking him and his efforts when all he really wanted was to win and blow everyone out of the water to make sure that he was the only person that will win and that everyone else will lose to him, but as for today...he didn't take losing really well. He snarls at himself and kicks the wall and said, "I will not lose out to the panda! I deserve to win this competition and he'll regret that he ever messed with me!"

As the day goes on, Liu Shang took on Taji and the young blue and white wolf made a swift kick to Liu's face and Liu fiercely pinned him down to the ground and just threw him down the ground, but Taji kicked him in the stomach and made a major backflip and did a one pawstand, smirking at Liu Shang. Liu growls and immediately charged him, but Taji made another backflip and got on Liu's back like a rodeo ridearound and he began to kick, punch and shove him hard.

But Liu Shang has other ideas as he immediately charged up his adrenaline as as Taki reached in for the punch, Liu grabbed his fist and he threw him in the air, jumps up and kicks him hard. Then, he dodged most of Taji's shots and grabbed him by the leg and flips him down again and did a backflip and kicked Taji's face using his two back legs.

Liu Shang chuckled softly and he said, "You just got powned, lion style."

Then, Musaki took on Taji as well and when Taji began to spar him, Musaki dodged most of Taji's punch lands and he grabbed his paw and used most of his kung-fu skills on him and back kicked him in the shin. Taji runs around him and used his backflip move and kicked Musaki in the face, but then...Musaki froze while he was leaning and then, he got himself back up with a fist coming directly at Taji and he flew through the stadium, but landed on his paws when he was in the wall and just immediately went up and punched, kicked and shoved him down. As Musaki laid down on the ground, he looks up at Taji and said, "Dude, you're good."

"So are you." Taji added.

Just then, Jaa comes up and battle Mojag and Mojag wasn't intimidated by Jaa's signature style and figured that it'll be easier to take down a little tiger and said, "This is gonna be good."

But he didn't expect Jaa to fiercely come up to Mojag that quickly and punched him in the mouth, while letting out a snarl at him and said, "Do not mess with me for I am not what you'll expect me to see!"

Mojag noticed Jaa's determination and said, "Whoa, what an ego on you."

Jaa fiercely came in and punched, kicked, twisted and shoved down Mojag several times, but the young boar was quick enough to stop him in his tracks and he kicked him in the shin, used his tusks to block his way and kicked him in his back legs. But Jaa will not be silenced as he severly growls at him and take him down with his own paws by just striking him down and kicked him in the face harder.

Jaa pants furiously and he goes up to Mojag and said, "Do not insult my skills."

Minutes later, Musaki comes back, ready to take down whoever's next, although he's not really focused on winning, he's focused on holding his own and to keep the fight going no matter what. And then to his surprise, his opponent comes in and the last person he expected to fight...was Liu Shang.

And when Liu Shang came in front of him, Musaki was shocked to see that he's gonna take him down himself and said, "Seriously?"

* * *

CLIFFHANGER! Didn't expect that to happen, huh? Well, next chapter...Musaki vs. Liu Shang!


	8. Battling Liu Shang

A panda and a lion battling together! Now this is gonna be cool! You can think up a song list to describe this battle while reading this too.

* * *

Chapter 8: Battling Liu Shang

Musaki didn't expect someone like Liu Shang to take him down because he never thought of him as an opponent, but then again he hasn't sparred with him yet because he says that he is a skilled fighter and he was gonna test it out, just to make sure that he some of the moves he said that he's good at is the real thing.

Liu Shang stared at Musaki in the eye and he said, "Guess we're gonna spar with each other, huh?"

Musaki got himself pumped up for this moment and he said, "Yep. Looks like I'll see these moves of yours on my own."

Before the fight, both of them shook their hands to make sure that after this, they'll continue to be supportive of each other and respect their skills and bowed to each other too and after this, the fight began.

Liu Shang was quick to take him down by shoving, pushing and kicking him hard, but Musaki stood his ground and charged at him by kicking him in the face and in the legs and then he flipped him down and slammed him to the floor. Liu grabbed his hand and flipped him down as well and then he leaped out of the sky and pinned him down to the ground.

Liu held onto his shoulders, panting heavily and whispered, "Guess you thought a lion wouldn't take down a panda, huh?"

"Impressive moves, but..." Musaki started, then paused for a sec as he legs swung on Liu's back legs and landed on the ground, causing him to jump back up, revealing his mischevious side.

"...not as impressive as my own."

Liu chuckled softly at this and he lets out a chuckle as he gritted his teeth and said, "We'll see about that."

Liu quickly roars at him and then, leans down in all fours and does a backflip and lands behind Musaki and pushed him down to the ground and then, he comes forward but not until he didn't see him anywhere, but then he got poked on the shoulder and just as Liu turns around, Musaki comes behind him and shoves him in the shin, causing him to fall down.

The young lion did not expect that to happen and he never thought of Musaki as a sneaky person, but in a ways, it was the most surprising move he made, which shockingly impressed him.

Liu gets himself up and they both stared at each other for a minute, both showing their serious game faces to each other and Musaki looks at him in the eyes and asked, "Impressed, aren't ya?"

"How can ya tell?" Liu Shang asked.

Musaki lets out a little smirk and only replied, "Just by looking in your eyes."

Liu shook it off and then, he decided to use his secret weapon; he quickly ran up to him, climbed up to the stadium near the audience and then, he leaps down to where Musaki would be and bodyslammed him down and he spins around and gives Musaki a jump-punch and kick and then he went around and twisted his body around and pins him again.

Musaki panted heavily, but he had another trick up his sleeve. He kicked Liu in the stomach and then he spins around until there was an array of gold and black surrounding him and as he rose up in the air, he quickly falls back down and lands on Liu Shang and then after the smoke clears, they gave each other one more kick, shove, push and more kung-fu moves they brought in and in the end, both of them were unstoppable forces.

Soon enough, the audiences were astounded by how this went and while they were praising Musaki's moves, they were double amazed by Liu Shang's fighting skills and how he sparred. Even the announcers couldn't tell which one's got the better skills because both of them were amazing.

With that, one announcer said, "We are giving this round between Liu Shang and Musaki...a tie!"

The audience were surprised that it came down to a tie, knowing that both of them were clear winners in their own rights, but both of them shook it off and Musaki said, "Great battle, man."

Liu Shang chuckled slightly as he scratched the back of his head and said, "Yours too. I guess this is the first time I ever got close to get my butt taken down by a panda."

"And I never thought a lion could kick some serious tail." Musaki added.

Both of them shook their hands and asked in unison, "No hard feelings?"

An hour later, the competition ended while the sun was setting and Musaki headed towards the mountains to look mover Shanghai Secluded Valley to sort of gather his thoughts around after the entire battle that day. Though taking down Liu Shang was unexpected for him, it was actually pretty cool that he can spar with him but more astounding is how he held his own.

He chuckled softly and thought to himself, 'Who would've thought that one of my new friends has fighting skills? Man, Liu Shang is definitely the most coolest fighter...not as better as me, but I totally respect his craft.'

Just then, Liu Shang found Musaki sitting by the boulders, just taking a look on the view on the sunset and he walked up to him and Musaki noticed him coming by and sitting next to him. He chuckled and asked, "Some day, huh?"

"Yeah, I'll say. It was insane pretty much." Musaki replied.

Liu sighed heavily and he turns to Musaki and he said, "Listen, the reason why I wanted to spar with you is that I really wanted to you experience my skills and how much of a skilled fighter I really am."

"How so?" asked Musaki.

Liu looked at him for a second and he replied, "Just to prove the people that I came from that a lion like me can do awesome things and that I can come out as a winner...just so I can be taken seriously."

That thought intrigued him he was eager to hear what's on Liu Shang's mind and Musaki responded, "I'm listening."

* * *

Even after the battle, they're still good friends outside the battle! We get to see Liu Shang's backstory coming up!


	9. Liu Shang's Backstory

And you won't believe the story of Liu Shang!

* * *

Chapter 9: Liu Shang's Backstory

Liu Shang takes a deep breath and tries to find the words to tell Musaki about everything and he looks at him and said, "What I might tell you is very personal for me because...you're the first person that I would talk about."

Musaki nodded his head in understanding and he was more than willing to listen to his friend's story as Liu began explaining everything to him.

"When I was growing up, I was only a young lion cub with a simple dream...be a great kung-fu master. And I figured that if I would ever have the chance to go for it, I would like do good things with it and make right choices for myself. I don't really care for the accolades or the respect of China. All I ever wanted to do with it is to be a good person and remain down to earth as possible. I've gotten some kung-fu training before when I was about two or three and I figured that it would be my first priority. Something that I would hopefully one day aspire to be. But the more I went for it, the more people gave a second opinion on this one because they would never think that a lion would even do kung-fu. I mean...yeah, we do have fighting skills, but those skills are for hunting only. I would go on to practice my kung-fu training on my own because every kung-fu academy I would enroll in would turn me down despite my talents, stating that a lion would not do these type of things."

Musaki had no idea that people never took Liu Shang seriously because of his kung-fu talent skills and fierce moves and that no kung-fu academies would bring him in just because he's a lion. He then asked, "What did your parents think about this?"

Liu Shang lets out a small growl as he turned himself away from Musaki and at that moment, he suddenly figured that this was a very damaging subject for discussion. He then asked, "They died, haven't they?"

"No. They're still alive, but even they didn't want me to be a kung-fu master. They say that it's for people that like to fight for all the wrong reasons and that it's a tool to take lives away. And I really don't think that's the case. They were scared for me because they didn't want to see me get hurt or die. But regardless of what they said, they never take my future in kung-fu very seriously. And even most of the citizens in my valley didn't think I have what it takes to even go for something like this. And when it came time for this competition, everyone pretty much objected me to participate, saying that I had 'better things to do' or assuming that I might be 'wasting my life' with it and I'm not wasting my life nor throwing it away just because of it. I was fed up with all of the bullcrap they gave me that I might measure up to anything with it and my parents butted heads about attending this round and they were like, 'If you go, consider yourself a place without a home' and...It's just...I couldn't just pass up that opportunity to even participate. You only get at least one shot for something like this and I just didn't want to let it slip away. Just once, I just wanna feel like a winner so that I'll have something I want to do for the rest of my life. I'm only 14 years old and I still didn't know why I did what I did." Liu Shang explained.

Musaki could notice Liu Shang's emotions ranging from frustration to determination and he could very easily understand him so well, defying any ounce of opposition from others who consider kung-fu a waste of time. As for the last part Liu pointed out, he then told him, "I think I might have the answer for that last part you said."

Liu turned his head to Musaki and he asked, "What's that?"

"You're following your heart. It's like you wanna go for something you really wanna pursue, but you're stuck with a lot of roadblocks on your life. We can't control what people say or do despite what they think or feel, but then again, we don't wan to pass up any opportunities like this competition. And it seems as though you made a very big decision at 14. But you had to do what you had to do and that's usually when they're like 17 or 18. But you know you got it in your heart and you just went with your gut instinct." Musaki added.

Liu Shang widened his eyes after hearing something Musaki had said to him and he asked, "Have you ever felt that way?"

Musaki sighed anxiously as he figured that he never experienced that same thing that Liu experienced and he hesitantly replied, "Nope. Never did. But I guess in a way if you had to make a choice for yourself, would you choose an easy one or a hard one? Everyone goes through the same thing like we all want to strive to be something we would hope to be, but the challenge is that you have to change the way you are into something you're not. The only way to prevent it is to stay true to yourself and keep your feet completely on the ground."

Liu Shang stared at Musaki for a while and he said, "I just want to make everyone else proud of me just once, you know? Just so I can feel like a winner. That's why I left my home behind...so I would find a place where people can take me and my kung-fu skills seriously."

Musaki looked at his lion friend for a minute and said, "We can't always win at everything, you know? We can try, but there's always someone else that outshines better. But don't be so hard on yourself because you did all you could do, even if it wasn't your best. Regardless of whatever might happen, you can still be a winner at heart. It won't change a thing."

"I never really thought of it that way before." Liu Shang said, softly.

"As long as you can stay true to yourself and be the best you can be, you'll already feel like you're a winner...even if you are one of the youngest." Musaki said.

Liu Shang lets out a smile and he said, "You're really a good friend, Musaki. I don't really find that many where I'm from. Because of my kung-fu aspirations, I'm pretty much an outcast in my hometown, Siko-Yao Village; where mostly lions, tigers and leopards live. But this is the first time I've ever met a panda before."

Musaki chuckled softly at that and he said, "Well, it's nice enough to know you can actually befriend one."

Then, Liu asked, "What about your parents?"

Musaki figured that one was coming and just when he was about to speak up, in comes Taji coming in and he went in between him and Liu Shang and he said, "Thought I'd find you guys here. So, what's up?"

Liu looked at Taji and he said, "Musaki was about to tell me about his parents."

Musaki took a deep breath and he said, "Yeah, about them...they died."

Liu Shang was surprised to hear this and so was Taji and he never really asked Musaki about his parents before and all Liu could do was say, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"What happened to them?" asked Taji, curiously.

"They...they got murdered." Musaki said, hesitantly.

That shocked Liu Shang and Taji to the core when they heard the term 'murdered' come out of Musaki's mouth and they asked, "By who?"

"Have you guys heard of a notorious villain named Tai Lung?"

"I think I might've heard of him, actually. Some of the kids would always play Tai Lung vs. Dragon Warrior where I came from and some of the kids would be the Dragon Warrior and one would be Tai Lung." Taji said.

Musaki chuckled and said, "Yeah, well...he was the one that actually killed my parents when I was only three. It kills me to say that I was there, watching them die and I became an orphan for 10 freakin' years. And when I turned 13, I ended up living at a new home with a new family and I've stayed with them for 4 years now."

"Who'd you live with?" asked Liu Shang.

"The Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior." Musaki answered.

That answer totally shocked Liu Shang to the core because they're the most well-skilled kung-fu masters in all of China taught by Master Shifu himself and he was completely amazed to hear this and he asked, "Seriously?"

Musaki nodded his head and he immediately pulled out his satchel and brought in a picture of himself along with Po, Shifu, Crane, Viper, Tigress, Mantis and Monkey and gave it to both Liu Shang and Taji and both of them were totally blown away that this is the real deal and Liu asked, "And you live with them?"

"Yep. More than anything, I wanted to be a kung-fu master and to use those skills for good and to make right choices with it rather than all the accolades and respect from China. I just want to stay true to myself and still keep myself grounded and because of them, I'm able to do that. I still got a long way to go, but I'm already on the right track." Musaki added.

Taji gives back the picture to Musaki and he puts them back and Taji asked, "I just have to ask; who's your favorite Furious Five member out of all of them? Mine would personally have to be Tigress. I mean, she's got a body and awesome moves that just won't quit."

Musaki looked at Taji with a weird glare like an 'are-you-serious' look and he said, "Well, she's okay...once she doesn't expose her bad side."

"Yeah, but what I really like is Viper. She's like the embodient of awesome, more so than Tigress. I seriously have a massive crush on her and I drew a little picture that says 'Viper and Taji; kung-fu couple' when I was 13." Taji added.

Musaki totally agreed with Taji on this one and he said, "She's one of my favorite members more so than Tigress. At least she's got a heart of gold. But my most favorite alongside Viper is Monkey. He's got brute strength, but has a laid-back, humorous personality. Someone that I would hang out with every second of the day."

Liu Shang looked up and he said, "I like the Dragon Warrior a lot. He went from like noodle shop worker to kung-fu master so quickly. Maybe that's why I look up to him; because he wants to do something that sets his heart into. My biggest hope is to just meet him someday."

"Po's a good dude. He can be a little weird, but he's very loyal and not to mention, the coolest person in kung-fu. I gotta let you know though...he can be somewhat of a fanboy. Probably the first kung-fu master to be a fanboy at the same time. But he's a really cool person if you really get to know him." Musaki added.

Liu Shang chuckled and then Musaki said, "By the way, those moves you used...no wonder you've taken it so seriously. You've got a gift."

Liu chuckled softly at that and said, "Aw, come on. Nah, not me."

Taji agreed with Musaki on that one and said, "Yeah, you. You kick serious ass...at the age of 14."

Liu didn't know how to respond after that statement and he said, "Well, I won't be repeating what you just said. But I guess it's true."

"You and Musaki were like fire and ice. It's like you two could be dual kung-fu masters." Taji added.

Liu and Musaki looked at each other for a second and then looked at Taji and both said, "Let's not go too quickly into it."

Musaki then said, "I guess we all have to turn in tonight because we have a big day tomorrow. This time, we get to bring in our weapons for the competition. Now this is definitely awesome because I brought in two key weapons; my sai and my samurai sword."

Taji chuckled softly and he said, "Dude, I brought in my wooden bo staff. Let's see if your sai and sword will go past me."

Liu Shang chuckled at that and he said, "I've got my nunchucks. These things always come in handy."

Musaki chuckled softly and said, "I bet they are. See you guys tomorrow?"

"You betcha!" Liu Shang and Taji, in unison.

* * *

Musaki knows how to give someone advice and lift them up when they're down, doesn't he? That's what he wants to be as well as an aspiring kung-fu master. Well, there's plenty more as we bring in the finalists!


	10. The Battle Continues!

More on the batlle scenes! If you can imagine your favorite song playing in your heading while reading this, what would it be?

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Chapter 10: The Battle Continues!

As the next day goes along, Musaki was looking forward for another day of competition and he was definitely feeling the excitement because he gets to bring his weapons so that he can battle with his opponents and he came totally prepped up. He brought in his two sais and his new samurai sword and he could tell that this is gonna be severely epic.

As he stood in the stadium facing his first opponent of the day, Jaa. Musaki looked into Jaa's crimson red eyes and realized that he could imagine it was Tigress standing there, which adds up to his motivation and the drive to start it off. Jaa snarls at him as he held his war hammer, looking forward to crush Musaki in this round. He then said, in an arrogant tone, "Looks like I'll take the panda down and bring him down to his knees."

Musaki wasn't intimidated by his prescence at all and he said, "Man, and I thought Tigress' ego was big."

Jaa quickly jumps up in the air, planning to wield him down with his hammer, but Musaki dodged his efforts and ends up missing his path and Musaki uses his sword to shield in Jaa's wrath to keep himself from getting knocked out. And then, he breaks out his two sai, twirls them around and does a samurai pose to show he's serious.

Jaa growls in frustration and throws some throwing stars at him, but Musaki swiped them away with his sword and his sais and they were flying all over the place and Jaa drops his jaw in shock after witnessing something like this and he looks at Musaki for a while and he growls sharply and transforms his war hammer to a katana sword and he immediately comes after Musaki to end this match, but Musaki places his sword in front his Jaa's and a swordfight ensues.

Jaa grunts in effort to attack Musaki, but with each attack, Musaki dodges them pretty quickly and uses his sword to attack Jaa with and both swords clash together and he also added in some classic ninja/kung-fu collabo moves to determine who's got the greatest skills. He throws his sword and sais in the air and does a backflip and goes on the other side of the area and caught both of them by the hands, amazing the entire crowd.

Jaa stood there in disbelief because it was impossible for him to do such moves like that and Musaki was ready to end this as he puts his sword down and only used his two sais and said, "So...you ready to withdraw?"

"Never!" Jaa shouted.

Jaa comes at him with his sword and kicks him in the chest, but Musaki wasn't fazed at all, so he does a thunderous kick and sent Jaa down to the ground, laying there with his agility a little used up. He panted heavily and thought to himself, 'How could I lose to that panda?'

Next up, Taji brought in his wooden bo staff and Liu Shang brough his nunchucks as they turned to battle each other and Liu Shang immediately charges him, kicking Taji down, but Taji kept himself going as he clacked his wooden staff against Liu's nunchuks. The young lion twirled them around as he spun around, showing that he means plenty business. He holds them in the air and uses it at Taji as he takes him down, but Taji does a backflip and tries to aim his wooden staff at Liu Shang, but every effort he makes, Liu ducks away from his aim.

Liu chuckles softly as he twirls his nunchuks around and said to Taji, "Dude, I may be the youngest, but I have the skills of a legendary kung-fu master."

Taji smirks at that comment and he said, "We'll see about that, man!"

Both of them charged at each other and they fought each other with or without their weapons and they kicked, punched, shoved, twisted, flipped and dodged every attack they gave each other and as Taji comes at him with the staff again, Liu leaned himself backwards while Taji flew over him and ended up behind him and Taji knocks him out, but Liu grabs onto the staff and brought him down to the ground.

The crowd definitely cheered for Liu Shang's amazing moves and he could sense that he would be the clear winner, but he doesn't really quite see it that way because he's that modest. If anything, he's more of his own skilled fighter, but never really brags about it.

Later on, Kang-Dae and Mojag were next to go at each other with the usage of their weapons as Kang-Dae uses his sword while Mojag brought in his own as well and with that, both of them were definitely battling away as their swords clacked together, both determining if their skills will outshine each other and as Kang-Dae went his hardest to take Mojag down, Mojag made a backflip and completely kicked Kang-Dae in the shin really hard.

Kang-Dae growls at him and beats him to the punch as he pinned him down to the ground, determined not to lose at any cost, but Mojag kicks him again and does a back-kick on his face as he falls down to the ground. Mojag taunts him as he rubs it all in Kang-Dae's face, saying, "I won, I won, I won and you didn't!"

Kang-Dae angrily pounded his fist to the ground, ticked that he lost yet again and grumbled to himself and felt like it wasn't fair what had happened.

The next day comes around and the competition goes to the contestants to pair up to fight some opponents and Musaki and Liu Shang were the first ones to take down Mojag together and as they began, Musaki went first and knocks him down with his face and as he kicks him again, Mojag grabs his legs and starts swinging it around, but got stopped when Liu Shang immediately went over to Mojag and trips him down on the ground, letting go of Musaki's leg.

Mojag snorts and plans to ram Musaki over, but Liu stops him by tackling him down and pinning him to the ground and attempts to kick and flip him down hard while Musaki comes over to uses his signature head-nut move on Mojag as he rose up his head, aiming at Mojag's nuts.

Liu Shang chuckled at that and he asked, "How'd you do that?"

Musaki smiled at him and said, "Simple. It's all in the head."

Next up, Taji and Musaki start to take down Kang-Dae and Jaa and Taji plans to take down Kang-Dae while Musaki fights off Jaa (for the second time) and as Kang-Dae takes down Taji, trying to make him give up, Taji was completely unstoppable and did a backflip and landed on his back and while Kang-Dae tries everything he can to get him off, Taji jumps up and slams him in the back. He gets off of him, but Kang wasn't ready to lose out as he beats him up, pins him down and punches him in the face.

Kang-Dae chuckled maliciously and said, "You've messed with the wrong jackal!"

Taji lets out a little smirk and said, "I don't know about that."

Kang-Dae stared at him confused-like and was unaware that Taji had a little something up his sleeve and he tripped on of his legs and fell down to the ground and Taji smiled at him and said, "Try to look where your opponent's going next time."

Meanwhile, Musaki spars with Jaa and after what had happened last time, Jaa is trying to redeem himself to gain back his pride and his ambition to defeat Musaki as he kicked, punched and knocked him out. However, Musaki was determined to finish it off as he grabbed Jaa's fist and he flipped him down to the ground and bodyslams him. Jaa growls at him as he punches him in the stomach and let Musaki land on his feet. Jaa did a signature kung-fu move and said, "I will not lose to you again!"

Jaa went ahead and kick, punched and shoves him down hard, doing everything he can to make him quit, but Musaki is one to never quit. He blocks off Jaa's move with his back and then, used his fists and legs to knock him out completely harder than ever.

Then, both Musaki and Taji went forward and finished off their opponents together with a certain move they used when they spun around and landed a blue and white power that struck both of them down hard and it left the audiences cheering wildly for them and both of them looked at each other and said, "Now that's teamwork!"

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Is that awesome or what? Up next...we see who's gonna be in the finals!


	11. Finalist List

This...is..it! Guess who's gonna be in the finals? And I decided to go back and forth with this in between Shanghai Secluded Valley and the Jade Palace.

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Chapter 11: Finalist List

The next day comes and as Musaki heads back to the Rai Song Stadium, he was definitely anxious about what's gonna happen next after finding out the announcement of the finalists for next week's competition. But he also knows that even if he's not in the finals, he can still be proud of himself for making it this far ahead anyway and whatever happens, he'll make his parents proud. That part he's okay with, but what about the Five, Shifu and Po? How will they react? That's the part that adds to his anxiety.

Soon enough, he heads to the audience where he sees Kato, Manny and Shao sitting and he sits in between them and Kato was ecstatic about Musaki's fighting skills and he said, "Dude, you kicked insane butt this week! I have a feeling that you're gonna be in the finals!"

Musaki chuckled softly at that and he said, "You think I have a chance?"

Shao scoffed at Musaki's anxiety and he said, "Dude, do you not have a chance? I think you have a big chance of making the finals!"

Manny agreed with what Shao told him and said, "Yeah, I've seen you fight these guys all week and not a single screw-up was shown."

Musaki felt like he's got some support from his Shanghai circle and then, he grew even more worried about what might happen and he asked, "Well, how will the kung-fu masters take it if I'm not in the finals? That would crush them."

Shao patted his shoulder for comfort and he said, "Aw, Xing-Fu...don't think these things. Besides, you said so yourself that it's just an honor to be here, even if you don't win or be in the finals. All that matters is how far you've come. And I'm sure your kung-fu family will be very proud of your for your accomplishments."

That lowered down Musaki's worrisome after some encourgaing words from Shao and he lets out a smile and said, "Yeah, you're right. What do I have to worry about anyway? Win or lose, I'll just say that I am proud of myself and that everything will be okay throughout the results."

Manny chuckled at this and he said, "Yeah, you gave me good advice on how to cope with dealing with the loss of my parents and I wanna do the same for this; just remember that it's not about fame or accolades. It's about making the journey more amazing and even if you don't win, you can still feel like you've already won."

Musaki smiled at all three of them and he said, "You guys are the reason why I would come to Shanghai Secluded Valley so I can surround myself with people like you."

"We're family." Kato added.

Minutes later, Oak Sung came out, wearing a green cape on his back while wearing a red vest on the front as he graced the crowd and brought in the list of the finalists to compete in the second leg of the competition. Musaki took a deep breath and calmly waited for the results to come out.

Oak Sung gave his attention to the audience as he clears his throat and speaks up, " I am very glad you are all here. As you know, we have listed down the finalists who will continue to compete for next week's competition. Of all the contestants I've seen this week that have shown potential and promise, I have to pick out six individuals that stood out from the rest."

Musaki rose his eyebrow for a second when his grandfather mentioned that there would be six finalists for the competition and that intrigued him to see this. He chuckled softly and said, "Six finalists? This is gonna be awesome."

With that, Oak Sung announced all the names coming in his list.

"The first one is...of course, my grandson, Xing-Fu Musaki Ko-Kanji Bushido-Akio Meng Cheng Xi-Wang!"

The crowd cheered in hysterics when Oak Sung announced Musaki's name calling out and even Musaki himself was shocked and surprised that he was called and with an excited reaction, he quickly got out of the audience and headed for the stadium to see his grandfather and he stood on his side, all the while his grandfather looks at Musaki and said, "Congrats, grandson."

Musaki bowed to him and hugged him in his honor and then, got his focus back for a while, but he was screaming joyfully on the inside knowing that he was the first one to be a finalist.

"Our second finalist...who's skills and determination stands out the most...is our newcomer, Liu Shang!" Oak Sung exclaimed.

Musaki was happy for Liu as he was one of the next finalists to compete for the next round and just then, Liu Shang comes out with a shocked, yet disbelieved expression as if he never expected something like this to happen and when he stood on Musaki's side, all Musaki could do is congratulate him for coming this far and that made Liu truly grateful...and modest too.

Liu Shang chuckled softly and asked, "Is this really happening?"

Musaki nodded his head and replied, "It is."

Oak Sung clears his throat and continued announcing the finalists and he said, "Third finalist...in which wolves can be anything they want to be...Taji!"

Just then, Taji coomes to the stage and heads over with both Liu Shang and Musaki and he was very surprised and also very happy that he's a finalist there and that his kung-fu skills are gonna be showcased yet again. Taji chuckled softly and asked, "Can you guys believe this?"

Liu Shang and Musaki nodded their heads and it made Taji completely awestruck that he's a finalist and there was nothing to screw up this day.

"Our fourth finalist...Mojag!"

There were several cheers and several boos when Mojag showed up in the audience, exposing his muscular six-pack abs to the entire crowd and even attracting some girls there. He gives them a wink and a smile, making most of the girls swoon over him while some were disgusted by his cocky prescence and as he made his way with Taji, Liu Shang and Musaki, Mojag's focus was on Musaki and he said, "Dude, you're going down and I'm taking your ass to last place!"

Musaki rolled his eyes and totally ignored that bold statement that Mojag spat out to him and Mojag went to the side, snorting at Musaki and he said, "Man, why is this panda not intimidated by my awesomeness?"

Taji looked up to see if there is any in Mojag and he responded, "Maybe because you don't have any."

Mojag snorted him and said, "Watch it, wolfie-boy!"

"Our fifth finalist is...Kang-Dae!"

All four of them groaned in disgust when Kang-Dae became the fifth finalist to take part in this competition and as he made his appearance, he came out with his swords, showing everyone that this is one jackal that no one wants to mess with. And as he made his way to the other finalists, he got his eyes on Musaki and he growls at him and said, "I'm back for revenge! I'm taking you down, panda! And you will regret making me lose!"

Mojag groans in disgust and said, "Man, and I thought all dogs went to heaven."

Kang-Dae glares at Mojag and he asked, "You said something?"

Mojag kept his mouth shut and had his eye on Musaki the entire time and Kang-Dae brought out his sword and puts it close to Musaki and said, "You think you can come here just because your dad's the bloodline of this competition? You've got another thing coming because your damn ass will be buried by me!"

Musaki once again ignored that threat and just stayed calmly silent as if he heard nothing from Kang-Dae and Liu Shang whispered in his ear, "You want me to take him down for ya?"

Musaki looked at him and said, "Nah. We'll let him have his moment."

"And finally, for our last finalist...Jaa Mick!"

Jaa Mick started walking in the stage and with his serious face, he was ready for a throwdown and when he got to the finalists, he lets out a very low growl and said, "Stay out of my way and we won't have any problems. And one more thing...I will not lose...especially not to that panda!"

Musaki figured that he was talking about him and he just shook it off like it was nothing and all he could do is focus on the competition and how much fierce the competition will be, but he can handle it very well.

Oak Sung then walks towards all six of them and he said, "And there you have it...our six finalists for next week's competition!And dare I say, make the entire Valley proud!"

All of them cheered for the finalists and most of them cheered for Musaki and they basked in the glory of how it will go down. And they cannot wait until next week when it all happens.

After that, Musaki hung with Cody, Samurai, Shao and Phoenix as they were going to his grandfather's place and kept rooting for Musaki for being the first finalist of this year's competition and were excited about him winning the whole thing.

Cody reenacts Musaki's moves and he said, "This is gonna be fierce, man! You're definitely gonna kick some tushy next week!"

Samurai also reenacted some of Musaki's moves and he said, "Our cousin's gonna give these finalists hell, man!"

Musaki chuckled at this and he said, "Thanks, guys. I appreciate your support, but let's not get overboard. I am happy that I made the finals, but it's still an honor to even be here."

Phoenix chuckled for a while and he said, "You know, you just might be the luckiest guy I know. You got taken in by the most awesome kung-fu masters in China, we reunited with you, the entire valley knows our uncle and most importantly, you've grown into a great person that my aunt and uncle hoped you'd be."

Musaki was tocuhed to hear something like that coming from Phoenix and he asked, "You really think so?"

"Dude, I know so."

Shao smiled at Musaki and he said, "You think you'll tell the Five, Shifu and Po about this?"

An idea suddenly popped into Musaki's head being that he's further away from them, he should write a little message to them and he looked at Shao for a minute and said, "That sounds like a good idea. They're gonna be thrilled that I made it to the finals."

Shao patted his head and said, "You're definitely an awesome fighter...and a good person. I just hope that one day that you'll be a great kung-fu master with a heart of gold, to lift people up when they're down and to just tell them to accomplish everything."

Musaki nodded his head in agreement with that and he said, "Hope so too."

"I think it's time for a group hug!" Phoenix exclaimed.

Everyone came over to Musaki and hugged him and Musaki definitely embraced it and the fact that he's surrounded by people he cares about, that's what he will be willing to fight for.

Later on, Musaki writes in a little message to send to the Jade Palace about everything that had occured in the previous week and how amazed and grateful he is to enter in the finals and how he will never take anything or his skills for granted and mentions them as the reason for being the person he is now and after he was done writing, he walks over to the messenger of Shanghai Secluded Valley and the messenger recognizes his as he heads his way.

"Hey, Musaki. Congratulations on being one of the finalists on that competition." the messenger said.

Musaki chuckled and said, "Thanks, Mac. You mind sending this message for me?"

Mac looks at the scroll and he sets them on a little message scroller container and asked, "Where to?"

Musaki smiled and replied, "The usual."

"Ah, yes. The Jade Palace. No probs, Musaki."

Mac flew his way to send Musaki's message to the Jade Palace about his news and he was already feeling the excitement about how they'll react to it and also being the finalist of the kung-fu competition and he looks up at the sky and whispered to himself, "Mom...dad...I am so glad I made it this far. I know I will make you guys proud of me."

* * *

**The Jade Palace**

Mac flew all the way to the Valley of Peace and when he landed at the Jade Palace, he walked his way over to the entrance and when he knocked on the door, he was patiently waiting for someone to answer and suddenly, when the door opens, there was Shifu standing there and Mac suddenly waved to him and said, "Hello again, Master Shifu."

Shifu recognized the messenger goose standing in front of him and said, "Hello, Macao."

Mac chuckles lightly and said, "Like I said before, just call me Mac. Anyways, you've got a message from Musaki."

Shifu completely felt surprised that he received a message coming from Musaki and he gave him the scroll and said, "I'll be sure my students will love to hear from Musaki."

"I'm sure they will. How are they, by the way?" asked Mac.

Shifu smiled and replied, "Doing just fine...well despite the fact that Tigress is currently suspended for training."

"What did she do this time?" asked Mac.

"Tigress lost out to Po during a sparring match a few days ago and because of it, she completely twisted his arms and it resulted into almost destroying half of the training hall."

Mac winces at that thought and said, "Ouch."

"Yeah, Po's doing fine now. His arm's back to normal, but Tigress' conduct came at a price...she lost some training privileges for a full week."

Mac chuckled at that and said, "Maybe she can learn from Musaki to take a loss very maturely."

Shifu clutches on the scroll and he said, "Well, thank you, Mac."

Mac nodded his head and said, "Anytime. And tell Zeng I said 'hi'."

As Mac flew back to Shanghai Secluded Valley, Shifu walked over to the barracks to see his students and also checking on Po for a while and as he entered the room, he asked, "How's your arm?"

Po looks over at Shifu and he said, "It's fine. The doctor said that I should ice it and it'll help make the swelling go down. So far, it's doing quite well."

Shifu nodded his head at that and said, "Again, I completely apologize for Tigress' conduct. Of all the times she kicked your butt before and that you've gotten better...although I'm still shocked to say that...what she did was uncalled for."

Po chuckled softly at that and replied, "Ah, it's no big deal. I'm not the type to hold grudges."

Shifu then clears his throat and said, "Meet me in the kitchen, Dragon Warrior."

Po's ears perked up when he heard to word 'kitchen' come out in Shifu's mouth and he said, "Absoultely."

Shifu then lets out an amused sigh and responded, "Not for snacking this time. We've got a letter from Musaki."

That made him all the more excited that he's gonna hear from Musaki and he immediately walked up to the kitchen while still holding the ice down and waited for everyone else to come. 2 minutes later, everyone showed up to the kitchen as Tigress sees Po cooling down his arm, which made her more guilty than anything and all Po could do is wave 'hi' at her, but Tigress felt like she didn't even deserve his kindness after what she did to him.

Shifu stood up on the table and said, "We've got a message from Musaki."

That made everyone completely excited to hear from Musaki, especially Arizona because he hasn't heard from Musaki in so long and as Shifu opens up the scroll, it reads,

_Hey, everyone. How have you all been doing? I'm doing freakin' awesome! Sorry, Shifu...I know you still didn't understand the first part. Anyways, I've had a crazy-cool experience in the past week with the kung-fu competition. All of the training you guys have taught me really paid off and some original stuff I've done have got the crowd roaring up a storm. I've never been this much more excited than anything before in my life. The reason I'm writing you guys this message is because I've got some shocking, yet amazing news. And don't worry, it's a good news. I am now one of the finalists of next week's kung-fu competition! How severely cool is that? Even though it's a great pleasure to be in the finals, it still doesn't take away the fact that I am truly honored to be a part of something that it amazing. No matter what happens in the end, I'll always be a winner. And I have you guys to thank for making the past 4 years feel like it's something new to me. I am deeply humbled, thankful and appreciative of everything that had been going on for so long and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I hope I can do all that I can to make you guys proud of me and hopefully, you'll root for me. And I know that I'm proud of myself for going this far and even if I don't win, it doesn't change me. I'm still the same person that you guys have been used to since I was 13, just happy, loving life and being optimistic about everything, whether it's good or bad. And you guys...especially Po...have made me turn into the person I am today. If only my parents could see me now...Anyways, just wanted to let you know that I'm doing okay in Shanghai Secluded Valley and after this is over, I'm coming back home. Wish me nothing but luck...Musaki. _

_P.S.: Has Tigress been staying out of trouble? I know she misses me. She may not admit it, but I know she does. Hopefully, she won't be too much of a wimp to be that honest. Also, how's Arizona? Is he doing okay? Hope so. Well, see yinz later! Wish me the best._

Shifu sent the letter back in the case and gave it to Arizona and told him, "Maybe you can send a letter to him."

Arizona nodded his head in agreement and said, "Absoultely."

Tigress was a little irritated to hear that Musaki knew that she misses him, but doesn't want to admit it to others, but got really irate when he referred her as a wimp for not fessing up to it and Monkey stared at her for a minute and she asked, "You're gonna say that I'm a wimp for not admitting that I miss Musaki, aren't you?"

Monkey clears his throat and said, "Nope. Because I already know you do."

Tigress scoffed at that comment and said, "I do not."

The rest of them knew she's in denial about this and they all let out a collective, "Sure, ya don't."

She excused herself to head over to her room and as she sat down on the mat, she ponders on the fact that she really does miss Musaki a lot and she whispered, "Good luck, Musaki."

Meanwhile, back at the kitchen...

Po was genuinely happy that Musaki finally made the finals of the kung-fu competition and said, "Man, I knew Lil' Saki would make it! I know for a fact he's gonna win!"

Mantis hopped onto his shoulder and he said, "Who knows? I wouldn't be surprised if he came home in first place."

Viper looked over for a second and asked, "Is that all you can think about is winning?"

"Uh...maybe...?" Mantis asked.

"Whatever the result, he's still a winner to all of us. And we will always be proud of him." Viper added.

Crane totally agreed with that and he said, "He's right. Saki has our support."

At Shifu's room, he felt extremely proud of Musaki for accomplishing what he's gonna accomplish and that he'll come back to the Jade Palace victorious. He then looks up at a poster of him and Musaki together at the Wu-Dan Mountains and lets out a deep sigh and whispered, "I'm very proud of you...son."

* * *

Next up, an outpouring of support for Musaki!


	12. Encouraging Words

These are words of encouragement from the masters after hearing that Musaki made it to the finals.

* * *

Chapter 12: Encouraging Letters

At Shanghai Secluded Valley

Musaki and Oak Sung spent time in his parent's old home doing some kung-fu training to get himself ready for the competition as a finalist. It was like make it or break it for him. Musaki sparred with his grandfather and for someone in his mid to late 60's, Oak Sung's kung-fu skills has got the energy of a young master. He hits on the uppercut and tries to block his grandson's move and Musaki tries to spar with him head-on, keeping his focus on the opponent.

Oak Sung went in and said, "Pretty good, Xing-Fu. But try not to think too much. Just focus and concentrate."

Musaki nodded his head at his grandfather's request and went for a more harder approach, but tried to keep himself careful in case he breaks something from his grandfather. As he punched his grandfather's paws, he punched them as hard as he could and as soon as he went faster, he accidently made his way to his hip and his grandfather let out a big groan as he kneeled down to the floor.

Musaki was shocked and alittle nervous thinking that he broke something in him and he said, "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

As he reached his hand out to him, his grandfather grabbed him by the fist and flipped him down and landed on his back while hitting the ground. Musaki groans heavily and then he looked at his grandfather, letting out a little smirk and he said, "That's how you take down your opponent."

Musaki chuckled at that trick and he said, "Can't believe that I've been outsmarted by my own grandfather."

Oak Sung helped him up while Musaki dusted himself off and his grandfather went on to say, "Above anything, your training is pretty much spot-on. I think a talent like that screams finalist round."

Musaki smiled at his grandfather and he just nodded his head in agreement with everything he said to him and he said, "That was a good one what you just did. I think I might use that."

Both of them started laughing as they walked out of there and with one more glance at the waterfall, Musaki felt like this is completely home and where his roots started off in a pretty epic way from the first three years of his life. He looked at his grandfather and said, "It's awesome to come back there."

"I figured you would like to have started training there, Xing-Fu." his grandfather stated.

As soon as they made their way to the house, Mac comes in out of nowhere and he held out a bag full of scrolls and Oak Sung chuckled and said, "A lot of scrolls there, Mac?"

Mac took a deep breath and he replied, "They're all from the Jade Palace."

That made Musaki excited to hear because if it's from the Jade Palace, it's most likely that he's receiving mounds of messages from his Jade Palace family. Mac looked at the smile and excitement on Musaki's face when he mentioned 'Jade Palace' to him and he lets out a slight chuckle and said, "Little excited to hear from them, huh?"

Musaki nodded his head very quickly and Mac gave him the entire set of messages and made his way to the backyard to read every single message they have written. A bag of emotions were set inside of him; ranging from nervousness, anxiety, excitement, joy and also happiness because he can finally see what the masters have written.

As soon as he reached his private set in Oak Sung's backyard, a little view overlooking the ocean, he sits down on the ground and opens up the first scroll and of course, he sees 'Dragon Warrior' in the middle of it and he immediately knew that it came from Po. As he opened the scroll, he started reading what Po had written.

_Hey, Lil' Saki! How's it going at Shanghai Valley? We got your letter that said that you're in the finals for the kung-fu competition. That is just awesome written all over it! Congrats, bro! I know for a fact that you're gonna kick serious butt there and win! I feel like you're gonna rise up like a warrior...with flaming wings! I feel so excited for you, I could pee right now. Anyways, aside from that...everything here is going okay. Gotten some more training and when you asked if Tigress stayed out of trouble...well, let's just say she's in a little bit of trouble. She kinda twisted my arm after she lost out to me and when she threw me all around the training hall, almost everything got messed up...which suddenly hit me; she's not as perfect as I thought I was. Translation: she messed up for the first time instead of me. Don't worry, I'm fine. It's just nothing but a little swelling because of the arm twisting thing. But Shifu totally suspended her from the training hall for a week. And I'll be honest, Tigress was livid. She ended up taking it out on me and of course half of the training equipment was wrecked and she totally scared the Five in a big way...including Monkey. He kinda peed himself after that had happened. But enough about me, how's everything here? How's your grandfather doing? We all miss you a lot since you've been gone, including Tigress. A few nights before the incident, I heard her cry and she admitted that she missed you so badly...in a friendly way, not romantically and wished that she would try her best to be a better person towards you. I told her that no matter what he'll do...he'll make us proud. You've made all of us happy by just being true to yourself and no matter what, as long as you embrace who you are as a warrior, you'll shine brighter than the sun. Whoa, that's pretty big coming from me because I've never given out wisdom advice from anyone before. But this is from a personal perspective because if I were to go back in time and tell myself before I became Dragon Warrior, I would tell him the same thing I said to you. You've grown up in front of our eyes when you came here in the Jade Palace 4 years ago and...I'm very happy to be a part of your life and I always thought I was the only panda here...until you came along. And I thought that we would teach you everything, but it seems to me that you've taught us a lot...even me. Just to embrace who I am, not only as a warrior but as a panda. For someone who's 17, you made a huge impact on us. Just keep ya head up and above all, I'm always gonna be your biggest fan. Can't wait to see you come home...your big bro, Po._

Musaki was touched with what Po had to say in that letter and it really made him inspired to see that the Dragon Warrior inspired him throughout the 4 years he lived in the Jade Palace and he was that he learned a lot from him. And it also tickled him to see that Tigress got herself into trouble...as expected. He sets down the scroll and moves onto the next one and this one came from Master Shifu. He was anxious but excited to see what Shifu had written for him. He opens up and starts reading Shifu's words.

_Musaki...how have you been? Are you keeping focused on your skills at the competition? What am I talking about, of course you have. I've never been more proud of you than ever before in my life. And to hear you've made it to the finals...blows my mind. I still don't know how you've managed to have your skills being the way they are and with everything you do, it leaves me and my students awe-struck and blown away. Congratulations on what you're doing right now. I look at you and everything you've gone through in your life with losing your parents, being an orphan...it must be horrifying for someone that will have a negative effect on their lives in the future, but not you. You've kept yourself positive even in the most darkest times while you were grieving. And all of the things you've been taught while you were with us really made me understand how much of an aspiring kung-fu master should be. Most students don't have that personality you have; you care for others, always accept whatever life throws at you, take a loss after sparring very maturely, always be forgiving and compassionate, help out others that are in need, give advice that will change their lives, take direction very seriously, let go of certain things from your past...but most importantly, give people a lot of comfort when troubled. It shows that you're a talented, brilliant and compassionate kung-fu master who's got his whole life ahead of him and that's you. If only my students could learn a lot from you...and I wish I could've learned from you a long time ago before you came into the Jade Palace. I have Po for that, but from someone who's younger...it just made me feel like I'm a better master than I thought I was. Your parents would be so proud of you...especially all of my students and myself. I not only see you as a student, but also my son...the son that I would've wanted after Tai Lung. You turned out to be a better person than me. Everyone around here is doing well, wishing you all the best in this competition and and we all can't wait to see you come home as a winner...to all of us, I mean. Good luck! Master Shifu._

_P.S.: To your response about Tigress getting into trouble, she's currently suspended from training until she manages to keep her anger in check. Maybe you can teach her how to take loss like a true warrior. But like the rest of my students, she does miss you a lot. She just doesn't want to admit it because she knows that we already figured it out. Nothing fools the grandmaster's eyes and sixth sense. Glad to see that you can handle things more maturely than Tigress or Po._

The latter part is what tickled Musaki the most but everything else, he can tell that it came straight from the heart. Like Shifu really appreciated everything Musaki has taught him and he never really thought of it very highly, but he's glad he did anyway. He picks up another scroll and on the center, he sees Viper's name on it and he was excited to see what she had to say, so he opened it up and began reading.

_Saki...words cannot express how proud I am of you to hear that you made it to the finals! Congratulations! I cannot believe that you're growing up so fast. It's like one day you're a shy 13 year old orphan and when we weren't looking, you grew into a 17 year old well-skilled warrior...skilled than half of us, even at a young age. Everything around here is going well and we all miss you a lot, even me. I know you told me you had a crush on me when you were young and it seems as though I've got my first admirer. You living here with us...I look to you as a brother and a son to me. It was like I was a mother figure to you all these years. Now that you're growing up, I guess I've learned a few things from you. Always stay true to yourself and no matter what, even when you fall down, you can get up and still keep going. We've always been taught that and for you to realize that, that's a big one. Looks like we've done a few things right. I love you and I am still very proud of you! Come home soon! Viper._

Then, he noticed the little 'xoxoxoxo's underneath it and he started smiling that Viper would say something heartwarming towards him and it was like she fufilled a life-long dream for him; have Viper admit that she loves him...as a son and brother, of course. He sets down the letter and reads another one and it had Mantis' name on the side of it. Although it was very small, Musaki could see what he's got written.

_Hey, Saki-man! It's your time to shine on the competition! Congrats on making the finals! Do all of us in the Jade Palace proud, dude! Kick some serious butt! We're all doing good here and as for Tigress getting into trouble...yeah, she did. Thanks to her, the training hall is currently in repairs so we had to train outside. Bet she would've taken that loss to Po a lot lightly than you, but we all knew her temper would get her into trouble. And I was right. But we all miss you a lot, man. We are very proud of the person you're becoming. Even Tigress is proud of you, although she would never admit it to any of us. I think she needs to stop hiding everything and just open up. It's not that hard. Well, gotta head out for a bit, but just remember to stay true to you and be an inspiration to everyone...the same way as you have inspired me to embrace who I am. I'll never forget that quote. I know you'll shine a lot brighter and be a great kung-fu master. I can see it! See ya later, buddy! Mantis._

Mantis' letter definitely touch Musaki the most after hearing that he inspired him to embrace who he is regardless of size. That completely made the sense how much of an impact he made of them. He sets it down and grabbed another scroll where he sees Crane's name in the middle. He immediately opened up the scroll and read what Crane wrote.

_Musaki...life in the Jade Palace is going extremely well. We're training, of course...but the only difference is we're training outside because a certain tiger merely destroyed most of the training equipment due to her rage after losing to Po in a sparring match. Tigress got suspended for a week and her reaction was furious after she took it out on Po...yet again. I think she sees the Dragon Warrior as her punching bag...only she's tackling a real panda. So barbaric and immature. But other than that, we're good. Heard you're in the finals of the kung-fu competition, I see. Congratulations! Your skills have been taken up top-notch and someone like you is very much able to do anything you set your mind to. I could see you as a leader of the new Furious Five in the future. Hope you can be a better one than Tigress. Just keep ya head up and stay as amazing as you are right now. The maturity you've gained over the years gave us a lot of respect and admiration for you. But most importanly, your optimistic look on life and how you took everything that had happened in stride as you grew older. Looks like we've learned a lot from you as you learned a lot from us. Proud of you, buddy. Best of luck in all you do. Crane._

Musaki chuckled softly as he saw the words 'immature' and 'barbaric' to descibe Tigress' actions. He sighly heavily and asked, "She'll never learn to keep her temper low, won't she?"

He sets the scroll aside and moved onto the next one and it's from Monkey. He was quick to open the scroll and read what Monkey had to say.

_Hey...Lil' Saki-man! How's my best brother buddy doing? Congratulations on being in the finals in the kung-fu competition, man! I know you'll kick some insane kung-fu ass! We're all doing pretty good, just doing some training. And for the first time...Tigress totally screwed up big time when she threw Po all over the training hall after she lost by him. She destructed most parts of it, even when Po dodged her. Wow, did that scare me. Now I cannot even get anywhere near her without her busting my head off. There's not a day that goes by that we don't think of you. We all miss you so freakin' badly, man. But I also know that you'll do whatever it takes to make us proud. Can't believe you're growing up to be an adult. I still see you as this shy little kid that came here in the palace and when I saw you maturing, I thought 'is this the same person that was so shy and timid when he first came here? Where'd he go?' Then, I realized that that kid is growing up so quickly. Man, time flies by so quickly, doesn't it? For so long, you've been taught by us, the coolest kung-fu masters and now...seeing what you've gone through in your life and willing to become the person you are right now...you're a kung-fu master to us and for making it this far, I don't know how, but I'm glad it did. We are so lucky you came into our lives and we've never been this proud of you...especially me. You've definitely taught this monkey a lot. And for that, I thank you. Until we see each other again, my friend. Monkey._

Monkey's combination of heartfelt words and humor totally lit up Musaki the most and he's never seen Monkey express it the way he did. He chuckled softly and puts the scroll down and then, he received one from Arizona. He was definitely excited to see what he's got written and as he opened the scroll, he began reading Arizona's words.

_Hey, Musaki. It's Arizona. How ya been doing? I heard in your letter that you've made it to the finals in the kung-fu competition. Congrats, man! I hope you come home victorious. I decided to take some time to write you this letter to say how awesome it is to have you in my life after so many years of loneliness. I never thought anyone would come out of their way to pull me out of the dark hole I was forced to live in for a long time and bring me into the light like you did. A year has passed by and I still think to myself that all of it was just a dream, but it's anything but. Thank you for giving me a chance at life and for making this young wolf's life change for the better and I can't think of a better friend than you. You're the reason why I strive for redemption for myself to be a better person. You didn't see me as just a wolf, but you saw me as a person. Maybe that's the reason why you saw me as one because you gave me something I never thought I would have; a good life. If I can find another expression to say or do other than thank you, that's something I would do and I'll carry this with me for the rest of my life. Good luck in what you do! Your best friend, Arizona._

To know that Arizona wrote some powerful words in that letter to Musaki touched his heartstrings really hard and he couldn't explain how to put it in words other than he was definitely a pillar in Arizona's life and he would always be grateful for that amazing moment. He sets down the scroll and went to the last one.

He was immediately anxious to know that the last one would be from Tigress and when he picked up that last scroll and saw Tigress' name on the center, he knew it was from her. He thought that she would write some unemotional words towards him and some of the things she might say were just said from her mind instead of the heart as he always expected and probably not support him from being in the finals, but the minute he opened the letter, it was totally different from what he expected.

_Musaki, heard you're in the finals for the kung-fu competition. Congratulations. I know I should be excited for you, but I'm not sure how to. If I did, it might make you make an opinion about me thinking that it was really out of conduct. But I'm really, really happy for you. Really, I am. I just don't want to admit it to everyone else because of how everyone will really see me as...just a person with a multiple personality. I knew that they might be right about me missing you, but I don't want them to be because it would make me feel like I am stupid and that they're right and I'm not. The reason why I gave you such a hard time over the past 4 years is because I am afraid...afraid that if I might hurt you that you might end up the same way I did and I didn't want you to be that way. I'm afraid of what you might really think of me, afraid that if you leave the Jade Palace and never come back because of me, afraid that everything I put you through, physically and emotionally, might affect you for the rest of your life. I wouldn't live with that and I would never forgive myself if I ever did that. I've never been this way before while I'm writing this to you. Warriors are not supposed to feel anything and I've closed myself off from the world all my life because everything might hurt me in life because I don't want to feel like I've been rejected or hated as I have a thousand times before in the past. And I guess I've been that way because I didn't want to open up those old wounds again and have everyone think second thoughts about me because they don't understand what I've been through and what I am going through. Just like Po, you've seen everything I've been feeling is just nothing but a facade and I know sometimes they crack, but it's hard to hold it in. I try everything I can to strive for perfection, but it fails miserably. When I look at you, it's like I saw a warrior that is the complete opposite of who others are; compassionate, kind, forgiving, easy-going, happy and a caring person. I don't know how you do it. Really, I don't. If I only learned how to be that forgiving from you. If I hurt your feelings, I'm sorry. If I made you feel like you're unwanted for 4 years, I am deeply sorry. I know that you might never forgive me for this because after everything I did to you, I don't deserve your kindness, your respect, your compassion and your forgiving nature. I deserve to be pushed away, hated, yelled at because I felt like it's what I get. Why am I crying now? I know you said crying is for the strength, but I shouldn't feel like I'm weak. I'm not supposed to be weak. But I know that when I look at you and at Po, I see that you two are really good friends to me and all of us...including me. I hope you become victorious and each and every day you train, I can tell you've grown a lot stronger than anyone of us...which is what scares me. That everyone will look up to you and shove me to the side because of what we taught you. But how do you get through so many things in your past and still smile about it like it's nothing to you? But I guess everything you showed have taught us all to believe in ourselves...although I self-doubt myself like I'll never be as good enough as you or Po or everyone else. I wish nothing but the best for you and thank you for trying to help me out, even when I tell myself that I don't want anyone's help or that I'll never get this or that I don't believe in myself. And I know that if I keep doing that, I'll lose the people that are considered my only family. Best wishes, Tigress._

_P.S.: I'm guessing you've noticed that I'm suspended from training. Not fair! If I had been more like you, maybe I should've learned how to handle loss lightly and more maturely and not let my violent temper take control over the little things. No one deserves that. You're too good a person that I'll ever hurt._

Musaki's heart broke for Tigress after expressing the way she felt in that letter and had always thought so much of her, but he realized that she was a lonely person that doesn't know how to love or even feel anything. And he always accepts any apology coming from someone else. He slowly puts away the scroll and whispered, "Apology accepted, Tigress."

As he looked at the other scrolls, he could see that it gave him so much support and love that the masters gave him and it gave him the drive to go forward with the finals and be a champion, win or lose.

"Thank you guys...so much." Musaki also whispered.

* * *

How was that? It kinda took me two hours to completely write this. Longest chapter ever! There's more coming up!


	13. A Grandfather's Advice

A grandfather's words of wisdom given to his grandson.

* * *

Chapter 13: A Grandfather's Advice

As the sun begins to set, Musaki was sitting on the roof of his grandparent's roof, playing his flute, just because he felt like it and that he had nothing else better to do. But for this occasion is to calm his nerves before the big week he's got ahead of him.

Not long after, he sees his grandfather making his way to the house and he was totally surprised that his grandfather heard him play the flute and Oak Sung asked, "Trying to calm your nerves, Xing-Fu?"

Musaki had no idea how to respond to that after he found out his grandfather saw and hear him play the flute and he asked, "How can you tell?"

As Musaki got down on the roof and into the ground, all his grandfather could do is let out a slight chuckle and say, "Grandfathers know."

Musaki sighed heavily and his grandfather was right; Musaki was definitely nervous about the competition coming up as a finalist. He looked at him and his grandfather could see the worry coming in his face and he said, "Come, let us head inside and talk."

As soon as they went in, Musaki entered his grandparent's room and both of them sat down on the floor together and Musaki noticed his grandfather crossing his legs and closing his eyes almost as if he's in a transic state of mind.

"What are you doing?" asked Musaki.

"Take off your sandals, Xing-Fu." his grandfather said.

Musaki didn't know where this was going, but managed to do what he said as he took off his sandals and then, he asked, "Now what?"

"Cross your legs, close your eyes, take a deep breath and clear your mind." his grandfather replied.

Musaki blinked a few times and he did what his grandfather said as he tried to clear his thoughts on anything and then Oak Sung said, "Now...forget about every ounce of stress and let your flow take over to find tranquility."

As Musaki cleared his thoughts, he began concentrating and in his mind, he began thinking about how he's gonna do well in the competition as he sees visions of himself garnering victory all the while staying completely focused and keeping his head straight towards the goal. Within a space of 10 minutes, Musaki definitely felt like he was in the zone as he opened his eyes and stared at his grandfather for a while and Oak Sung asked, "Do you feel any stress now?"

And to his surprise, his worries started to fade and he replied, "Not anymore."

Oak Sung stood up and he said, "As long as you maintain yourself and keep your focus ahead of the challenge, you will face it head-on. And I know you can do it, Xing-Fu."

Suddenly, Musaki completely understood what it meant; not to focus on pleasing others, but to take whatever challenge he's set to do and just accomplish it no matter what. And with some help from his grandfather, it worked really well. He chuckled softly and asked, "How long have you known Oogway?"

"Many years before you or your father were born. We grew to become very good friends and his wisdom always seems to have an effect on me. If I can teach whatever he does to everyone, I think I have succeeded, just by touching people's lives...the way you and your father did." Oak Sung replied.

Musaki got himself up and he said, "I have to tell you something, grandpa."

Oak Sung faced Musaki and said, "Anything, my grandson."

Musaki didn't quite know how to put it into words and then he said, "It's kinda personal for me. I just want to be the best person, but I'm always scared that I might fail and disappoint everyone in this competition. I do want to be a great kung-fu master though. But what do I do in order to stay true to myself instead of what other people might think of me as?"

His grandfather looked into his grandson's blue eyes and he said, "Just stay the way you are. And do not worry about what people might think of you or expect you to be. You are a warrior to me and that's all I will be proud of. Be the best Musaki you know you can be. And I know your father would want you to be anything you want to be more than anything in the world..but always stay true to who you are."

It lifted up Musaki's confidence levels after hearing this and he said, "I think it'll help me out."

Just then, Musaki shows his grandfather some of the scrolls Po, Shifu, Arizona and the Five have written as he goes through every scroll, he was captivated by some of Tigress' words she set in and he turned to him and said, "Sounds like she must be feeling troubled."

Musaki sighed heavily and told him, "I would always forgive her no matter what she did or say. But why would she think that I might push her away because she hurts my feelings?"

Oak Sung puts his hand on his grandson's shoulder and said, "Pride and fear can sometimes lead to a path of self-destruction. The minute someone rejects you your whole life damages a person's self-worth, self-confidence and self-esteem. They're afraid of rejection because they don't want to get themselves hurt and consider emotions as a weakness when in actuality, those thoughts they set in will only hurt themselves more. If they're used to being hurt before instead of someone being kind to them, they'll only do the same thing others have done in the past; shove them to the side based on their carelessness. If it's not being taken care of properly, then it'll lead to several tragic things; lack of motivation, lack of friendships and ultimately...suicide. The latter part is a possibility but is very unknown. I'm guess that Tigress was a little bit fearful that after she mistreated you that she doesn't deserve to be loved or forgiven, but rather being pushed away or unforgiven."

Some parts of the puzzle fit in pretty quickly and that in his mind, Tigress isn't really as tough as he thought she was. Instead, it was a warrior who feels a tremendous amount of hurt and low self-esteem that was hidden underneath the surface to put on that mask to act as if nothing was coming out. And he was used to having Po do all that for her, but the fact that he was helping her out too adds to the surprise factor. He sighed heavily and he said, "There is no instructions on how to be kind, forgiving and compassionate. You just have to feel it."

"Correct, Xing-Fu." Oak Sung added.

"I know I want to help her, but I'm just not so sure if she's willing to comply because when things are hard outside of kung-fu, all she wants to do is just quit because in her mind, she thinks she's wasting her time when really she's afraid that she'll never be good enough and that's just not true. Not everyone does it well on anything the first time and you may never know how unless you try." Musaki added.

"All I can say is help her in whatever possible and do it with love." Oak Sung added.

Musaki nodded his head in agreement and Oak Sung continued on saying, "Other than that, everyone else is really rooting for you...especially that Arizona whippersnapper."

Musaki chuckled softly and said, "Whippersnapper..."

Then, Musaki looks at the necklace his grandparents gave him and as he opens it, he sees him and his parents alongside and that really made him feel happy and when he looked at his grandfather, he said, "Thanks for the gift, grandpa. It really means a lot to me."

"As long as you wear it, you can feel your parent's presence deep in your heart. And always remember, do not lose sight of who you are as a warrior when you're a finalist in this competition. It comes from within you and once you grasp it, only then you will unlock the true potential of being a warrior on the inside rather than the outside." Oak Sung said.

Musaki nodded his head and gives his grandfather a hug and whispered, "I'll remember that. I promise."

Later on, Musaki heads out to get some air and he seeks Taji and Liu Shang walking by along with Shao, Cody, Phoenix, Samurai and Tsunami in a nearby village and as he caught up with them, they could see they're having a little party for the finalists at a noodle shop and as they went in, he sat down with them and of course, Shao looked up and sees Musaki there and said, "What up, finalist?"

Musaki smiled at them and said, "Now I'm doing great. Heard you guys are having a little party."

Taji chuckled softly and said, "Yeah, those who are in the finalists are having a party in their honor of making it. So it's you, me, Jaa, Liu, Mojag and Kang-Dae."

Just the, they all got bowls of soups whereas for Musaki, Liu Shang and Taji, it read 'congrats on being a finalist.' Looking at it, Musaki picked up a spoon and tried it out for the first time. His taste buds exploded into excitement and he said, "This is so much cooler! Not as cool at the Dragon Warrior's, but you know..."

"Po still cooks?" asked Phoenix.

Musaki nodded his head very quickly and Cody said, "Dude, you have got to invite us at the Jade Palace for dinner sometime!"

"Yeah, I don't think Po would feed up to a hundred some-odd people in one kitchen. In some certain events where there is a big dinner, they have this big table for the Winter Feast or whatever event they do. It's all done so elegant-like." Musaki added.

"Samurai sucks at being elegant." Tsunami added.

Samurai snorts at that comment and he glares at Tsunami and said, "Well at least I don't burp after each meal."

Tsunami groans as he rolled his eyes at Samurai and said, "It's acid reflux, Sam."

Liu Shang looks up at Musaki as he watched his cousins bicker and asked, "Are they always like that?"

"Only at home." Musaki replied.

"So...are you excited about the final round?" asked Taji, joyfully.

Musaki chuckled softly and said, "It's gonna be great competing against you guys and we're gonna knock them dead."

Liu Shang nodded his head in agreement and he said, "I'm with ya."

Taji, Musaki and Liu Shang put their paws together and raised them up in the air while shouting, "Final showdown!"

* * *

This is it! The finalist showdown is on!


	14. Big Showdown!

Prepare to have your minds blown!

* * *

Chapter 14: Big Showdown

As the sun begins to rise, Musaki got himself ready for the first day of the final round and he was stoked up to throw down who's gonna be the opponent of the day. He got on his japanese ninja headband to make him look like he's a professional ninja master at the age of 17 and he took a few deep breaths to calm his anxiety down level and just focus on the competition. As he walked out of his room, he walks past the living room where his grandmother was coming in with a crate full of berries and random fruits coming in.

"Hello, my grandson...the finalist." his grandmother said, happily.

Musaki chuckled softly at that and said, "Hey, grandma."

Then, she makes a mixture of strawberries, grapes, blueberries and kiwis in a little cup, mashes them together and gives them to Musaki and when he looked at it, he asked, "What's this?"

She lets out a little chuckle and said, "It's a little fruit juice. Said it helps you get healthy and make you ready for anything to keep ya up."

As Musaki takes a sip of it, his eyes were bursting through excitement as his taste buds hit the fruits and he said, "This is delicious!"

"I figured you would like it, Xing-Fu. There are kiwis in there too." his grandmother said.

Musaki chuckled softly as he figured his grandmother read her grandson's mind about his favorite fruits and transported it into a fruit juice and he said, "How'd ya know?"

"I know my Xing-Fu."

Musaki smiled a little bit and he said, "Thank you, grandma."

Just then, Oak Sung comes in the kitchen and seeks Musaki in the kitchen and he said, "Morning, grandson. Enjoying your grandmother's fruit juice, I see."

Musaki was surprised to hear that coming from his grandfather and he asked, "You know about these?"

Oak Sung chuckled softly as he kissed his wife on the cheek and said, "We've been married for 50 years and there's a lot of things I know about your grandmother and her fruit smoothie is definitely delish. Plus, it keeps me very active and builds stronger muscles among other healthy things so that I can keep up with the youngsters."

"And you still have the muscle of a youngster." his grandmother said while laughing.

They both start laughing and it was really great for Musaki to see and he said, "That's great. Looks like I'm gonna have all the fuel I need for the battle today."

"Not yet, Xing-Fu. You might consider getting some breakfast before you fuel yourself." Oak Sung added.

After a lenghtly breakfast, Musaki headed to the Rai Song Stadium, energized and focused as he entered there and saw the action taking place. He was more than ready to take down his first opponent of the day and determined to do so all the while still being honored to being in the competition.

"Morning, Musaki!"

Musaki turned around for a sec and saw Shao coming in behind him and he said, "What up, Shao?"

Both of them did their fist bump greeting while pulling their knuckles back, making an explosion sound and Shao said, "Are you ready for this?"

Musaki chuckled and said, "As long as I'm ready for this!"

"Dude, the finalist rounds are the hugest thing in this competition. So many endurances will be tested throughout, but many of them pass through with flying colors." Shao explained.

"Where does that leave me?" asked Musaki.

Shao stared at him for a while and replied, "Taking it like cool breeze."

"Okay..."

Shao patted Musaki on the shoulder and he said, "You'll do just fine, man. I believe you can smoke this competition from the ground-up."

That made Musaki perk up with a lot of excitement after he heard what Shao said to him and he asked, "Ya think so?"

"Dude, with your Japanese bandana, I know so."

Musaki chuckled softly at that and he felt the huge support from Shao and he said, "Thanks, man. I appreciate that."

Minutes later, the finalist round is about to begin and as the crowd began to cheer, they could tell that this is gonna be a freakin' awesome competition and as Oak Sung walked towards the center, he waved at the audience and garnered their attention. He clears his throat and said, "Welcome to the finalist round! We've had a great battle last week with random contestants here and we started with about 400 contestants and it has all come down to this; the top-six finalists will go all out for the win of Shanghai Secluded Valley's most valuable kung-fu master of the future!"

All of the crowd cheered like crazy to hear this and this is definitely the moment they've been waiting for a long time. Oak Sung then continued on to say, "I am proud to present your six finalists!"

Just then, the crowd cheering began to intensify as the finalists came one-by-one into the stadium; Taji, Kang-Dae, Liu Shang, Mojag, Jaa and Musaki. The latter name brought the attention of many audiences as their cheers intensified even more and one even threw a rose in front of Musaki and he picks to up and waves at the person who threw it. As they set the stage, three of the six went on one side while the last three remained on the other, each facing each other for this competition.

Oak Sung announced, "First off, I have to start my grandson off...by taking down Mojag. Then, Liu Shang takes on Jaa and Taji takes down Kang-Dae."

Hearing the last part made Taji a little bit freaked out knowing that he was gonna battle Kang-Dae yet again and when he faced Kang-Dae, all the jackal could do is growl at him angrily and said, "You're mine."

He then leaned over to Musaki and muttered, "Shouldn't we switch opponents?"

"Not part of the rules." Musaki muttered back.

Musaki was first up to face-off Mojag and the boar was ready to bring him down hard this time and he said, "Prepare to lose, panda! Because you will be thrown down like a rodeo!"

Musaki was confused by that part and he asked, "What up with the pickup line?"

"Part of the competition." Mojag sneered.

Seconds later, the gong rings and it was battle time and Mojag quickly charged at Musaki with one punch, but Musaki grabbed his fist before making the second punch and threw him across the stadium. Mojag gets himself back up and tries to go after him, but ends up dodging every spar the young boar makes, leaving Mojag frustrated that he couldn't make a punch yet. When Mojag did knock him out, Musaki blocked his move...with his butt. Musaki chuckled softly and just did a backflip and kicked him in the head.

Mojag groans in frustration while Musaki chuckled softly and said, "I may not have the Dragon Warrior's weight, but I've been taught a few things from him."

Then, Mojag gets himself back up and he snorts at Musaki and tries to attack him from behind using his tusks and as he threw Musaki off around, Musaki grabbed his boar and lifts himself through the air, does a 360-degree angle and lands on Mojag's back and knocks him out completely. He does a flip, shove and head-butt attack and both of them try to knock each other out, but Musaki knows how to end it...he crawls underneath Mojag's legs and then raises his head, aiming at Mojag's nuts.

While the young boar held onto his boarhood, Musaki crawled out of there while Mojag fell down to his knees, squeaking in pain and the crowd cheered for Musaki as he took a bow for them.

Later on, Liu Shang took on Jaa and while they looked at each other with some seriousness, Jaa decided to take shots at the young lion and said, "Dude, I'm 17 and you're 14. What's a young cub doing in a big competition like this?"

Liu Shang lets out a low growl, taking that comment as a personal offense to him and he couldn't wait for the gong to ring. When it did ring, Liu wasted no time lunging at Jaa, but before he could land a punch, Jaa threw him down to the ground hard and placed his foot on Liu's stomach as if to stop him. But what Jaa didn't know is that Liu can do whatever he wants because his paws are free as he grabbed Jaa's leg and threw him down to the ground.

Liu gets himself up and Jaa growls at him, waiting to take him down with his claws and when he lets out a loud roar, Jaa wasted no time frantically running to him and beating him down for the count with every punch, kick, shove, pin and flip he would use. Liu grunts heavily and he refuses to be taken down by a show-off as he gets himself up and while he's waiting for Jaa to take his next shot, he comes up with a trick to take a huge manuever. He hops up on the stands between the crowd and while Jaa wasn't looking, Liu quickly goes behind where Jaa is and when he leaps down, he lands on Jaa's back and rolls him around, pinning him down for the count.

"Who's the smart guy now?" Liu Shang asked, with a smirk.

Jaa kicked him in the chest and Liu was through with Jaa's games and just went out and tackled him and punched him out hard and with every move he would use, it comes stronger and more heavier than anything, which left the crowd mesmerized by Liu Shang's moves. After that, Liu pinned Jaa through the wall and he lets out a very furious exhale and said, "Get this straight, tiger...never question my abilities nor my skills! I may be the youngest, but I can kick your ass...hard."

Then, Liu frees Jaa's grip, but Jaa still wants to take him down by clawing him, but Liu reaches his paw and throws him through the air and Liu leaps up and kicks him down to the ground, thus proving his point.

The crowd cheers for Liu Shang, but the young teenage lion was so modest about it thinking that it's still for Musaki, but is flattered by the admiration anyway.

Jaa gets himself up and just growls at the lion, saying, "This isn't over!"

Lastly, Taji comes by to take down Kang-Dae and Kang was definitely ready to kick Taji's tail really hard and he got on all fours, just waiting for a huge victory for himself if he takes down Taji. Kang-Dae lets out a soft growl and said, "You're definitely gonna lose out to me this time."

Taji wasn't intimidated by Kang-Dae's warning and he said, "We'll see about that."

As the gong rings, Taji got on his fighting stance while Kang-Dae went for the attack and he runs over to Taji, but missed him because Taji dodged out of the way and blocked his moves with his paws. Kang-Dae growled furiously and leaps over to him, but Taji ducked down and punched him in the face and nose. That didn't take Kang-Dae well and he went out and knocked him down really hard, but Taji knew when to stay calm. He picked him up and threw through to the wall and even after Kang got out, Taji was the first to through a huge punch at him.

Kang-Dae growls in frustration after seeing Taji's moves and he was gonna do everything he can to defeat him and he punched, kicked, shoved, bit and threw him in every which way but loose, but the young blue and white wolf will not cry out defeat as he leaped over and backflipped him down hard. He then grabs Kang-Dae's fist and throws him to the other side of the round and kicks him in the tail heavily.

Kang-Dae groans heavily and when he turned around, he lets out a huge shout and panted furiously at Taji and said, "You cannot beat me!"

He then pins Taji down, thinking about clawing him but Taji kicked him out of his way and Kang-Dae landed on the ground again.

The crowd cheered for Taji as he took his bows and waved at the crowd like he was famous. Then, Kang-Dae looks up and sees that he lost to Taji yet again. He growls in frustration and cursed under his breath as he walks out of there.

Later that day, Musaki walks out of Rai Song Stadium after a long day of battling and Liu Shang comes from behind and said, "Good fight, Saki."

Musaki chuckled softly and said, "Thanks, Liu...but you're the better fighter."

Liu Shang sighed heavily and tried to hide the fact that Musaki was right and said, "Nah, not me. I'm only 14."

"But you have the mentality of a professional kung-fu master." Musaki added.

Liu Shang lets out a heavy exhale and said, "Look, when someone tells me that I'm too young to accomplish something big, that's usually the part that drives me freakin' crazy and I would do anything to prove them wrong, just so I can be taken seriously."

"Just ask yourself this...who are you really going for; others or yourself? If they have doubts about your skills, it's their problem...so why make it yours?" asked Musaki.

Liu Shang knew Musaki was right about this because he's been letting it get inside his mind for so long and he turned to Musaki and asked, "How'd you get to be so wise anyway?"

"Kinda runs in my family...well that and learning it from the kung-fu masters in the Jade Palace." Musaki answered.

"I really do it for myself and when I left my hometown, I felt like I had made my decision to go wherever my heart tells me to go. But how do I know if I made the right choice when I'm only the youngest one out there?" asked Liu Shang.

Musaki wasn't really sure how to answer that question for him, but he knew from personal experience that making a right choice isn't always that easy, but following your heart and knowing how to do the right thing isn't that hard either. He then asked, "Ask yourself this question; am I really following what's in my heart instead of what's in my head? And before you answer your question, just remember about how far you've come in a short amount of time. No one knows if you've made the right choice, but you just have to go with your gut instinct and face everything head-on instead of running away from it. Obstacles may be hard for you, but not impossible."

Musaki walks away for a while leaving Liu Shang a minute to think about what Musaki just said and some memories kept flooding back on going through on the competition for the first week and lead up to being one of the finalists and being able to gain a huge following of audience that really seeks the young lion's skills.

Liu blinks a few times and suddenly, Musaki's words made complete sense on doing what he had to do...and in a short amount of time, he had gone what he had set out to do, but it was far from over.

'Looks like I followed my heart...and I have made the right choice. Thanks for helping me realize that, Musaki.' Liu Shang thought.

Liu walks off, this time with a smile, knowing fully intact that he followed his gut instinct and will overcome any obstacle he'll face, not only on the competition, but in life as well...and he definitely learned that quickly at age 14.

* * *

Wow, who knew Musaki would be so wise? Let's see if that wisdom paid off for Liu Shang!

Also, today is my 5th anniversary of being registered to ! Been on this site for 5 years now! Is that cool or what?


	15. Believing in Myself

Let's see if some of Musaki's words boosted up Liu Shang's confidence. And don't think I forgot the battle!

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Chapter 15: Believing in Myself

The next day comes around and it's the second day of competing and Liu Shang was definitely anxious about who he's gonna take down next, but he remembered some of the words that Musaki told him after the first day of finals competing that he needs to believe in himself and know that his skills are what brought him here and to where he's at now. He lets out a big sigh and whispered to himself, "This is it, Liu. Just remember...follow your heart and believe in yourself and your skills."

With that ounce of confidence, he shakes himself off and walks in the Rai Song Stadium in confidence and as soon as th crowd starts cheering, he's more than ready to head into the arena. He then seeks Mojag, Taji, Kang-Dae, Jaa and Musaki coming by and he walks behind Musaki to keep up with the others. Musaki looks behind and sees Liu right there, giving him a smile. Musaki smiled back at himand gave him a little high-five to determine that he'll gain his respect in the Valley.

As the finalists arrived, the crowd cheered as loud as they ever made and they split in one side while the remaining contestants stayed where they are. Oak Sung comes over and he looks at the others and said, "Good morning, all! Welcome to day 2 of the finalist round!"

The crowd cheered loudly as ever and went crazy-nuts to see some more action coming in while the contestants looked at each other in the eyes, bringing their A-games together.

"First up...Liu Shang takes down Kang-Dae and then, my grandson will take on Jaa and Taji will take on Mojag." Oak Sung added.

Liu Shang looks at Kang-Dae in the eyes and the jackal growled at him, all serious and stuff like he was gonna annihilate this young lion, but Liu stayed focused on what he's gonna do and got himself down on all fours waiting for him to strike him down.

"Lion...prepare to enter in your little grave of losing. This is for the big boys and you're just a cub! You have no chance of beating me." Kang-Dae smirked.

Again, more shots of Liu Shang's skills because of his age and he lets out a small growl after hearing this from someone else and as the gong rang, Kang-Dae immediately ran to him, but Liu grabbed his fist before the jackal could lay a punch on him and threw him on the other side of the ring. Kang-Dae landed on himself backwards while looking at Liu Shang from upside down and he growled at him, got himself on his feet, ran up to him and attack him by jumping on his back, tackling him down in the process.

Liu Shang did not like that at all, so in the process he bodyslammed Kang-Dae by using his back in order to get him off his back. Kang-Dae completely wanted to finish Liu off, so he brgan using some of his kung-fu tricks to beat him down by scratching, pushing, shoving, kicking and the more Liu got punched, the more fierce Kang-Dae would be, but Liu grabbed him by the legs and kicked him in the butt and it landed him back down to the ground.

Kang-Dae gets himself up and snarled at Liu Shang, almost as if the young lion made an offense and he said, "I will not be taken down by a cub!"

That was enough for Liu Shang to hear as he lets out a huge roar and charged at him in full force by using his claws to strike him down and he leaped up in the air and kicked him using his back legs, then he swung at him numerous times while doing flips and kicks to him in the face and pinned him down to the ground, growling lowly.

"Never...call me...a cub...again!" Liu Shang growled.

That felt like a very personal attack to him and Kang-Dae ignored his comment and just kicked him in the face and charged at him, but Liu Shang knew when to keep himself cool in something like this and he went towards Kang-Dae and head-butted him in the process and grabs his wrist and flips him down to the ground...hard.

Everyone in the crowd went crazy nuts for Liu Shang's moves and when they cheered at him, Liu felt like he was the star of the competition, even though he doesn't see it that way. But he was cool about it anyway and wouldn't trade this experience for anything and for the first time...he completely believed in himself.

'Thanks, Musaki. Now I am fully believing in myself.' Liu thought.

Next up, it's Musaki against Jaa. Jaa reveals his claws and is looking forward to crushing Musaki down, but Musaki wasn't really that intimidated with his toughness because he's like a dude version of Tigress, only younger and more tempered than anything. Jaa looks at Musaki and said, "I'm surprised that you're even capable of taking down someone like me."

"Yeah, well...I have Tigress to thank for that because looking at you, I see a little resemblance." Musaki said.

Jaa growls at him menacingly and he just straight up quickly attacked him on the spot and punched, kicked, shoved and pounced on him as hard as he could go to defeat Musaki, but he was unaware that Musaki's got something under his sleeve. As he got himself up, Jaa went forward to punch him, but Musaki grabbed his fist and then flipped him to the other side of the stadium.

Jaa gets himself up and asked, angrily, "That's how you wanna play the game, huh?"

Musaki shows off his kung-fu pose and said, "Try to catch me, pussycat."

That was a big offense to Jaa for Musaki to call him a 'pussycat' and his eyes were red like fire and just quickly beats him down for the count and pinned directly at him, with his teeth gritting and planning to claw him and said, "You just signed your death warrant!"

Musaki wasn't even shaking by his threat and he just kicked him in the stomach and flipped him down as many times as he could. Jaa wanted him to lose so badly that he was willing to do anything to break him down and he just went all out by just throwing him down and shoving him down to the ground and smacking him everywhere, but Musaki knew when to stay calm and completely went up to him, using every ounce of kung-fu he could use...he ran and leaped towards him and kicked him in the shin and did a backflip punch and stomped on Jaa's tail.

Jaa screamed in pain while Musaki shoved him back down and Jaa still landed some punches on Musaki, but dodged them as he went along and he tried to scratch him, but to his surprise and the audience's awe-struckness, Musaki used his anti-gravity lean to dodge his shots completely, which left Jaa astounded, but as soon as Musaki got himself back up, he could see that Jaa was distracted by it, which means...

Musaki finished him off with a kick to the chest as he fell down to the ground. The crowd went uber-nuts with Musaki's sweet moves and all Musaki could do is just bow to the crowd and wave hi to them. Jaa groans and gets himself up and is angrily shocked once again that he got beaten by Musaki, yet again. He went up to him and said, "How do I always end up getting beat by you? I'm freakin' hardcore, dude!"

Musaki rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, yeah, you're hardcore. Heard that excuse before."

Next up, Taji takes down Mojag and this was something that Taji was looking forward to...and also Mojag too. Mojag brought out his musclar fist and he was gonna fight Taji...while shirtless; showing off his abs and then kissing his pecs, which disgusted Taji the most.

"Dude, less kissing, more fighting please. You're gonna make me queasy." Taji said, in disgust.

Mojag wasn't gonna pull any punches so he went ahead and rammed him down with his tusks and kicks him to the ground. Taji growls as he leaped up into the air and kicked the young boar's leg, making him trip.

Then, he nonchalantly said, "Whoops."

Mojag gets himself up and angrily snorted at him and said, "You're gonna regret doing that to me."

Mojag comes at him hard and kicks, punches, throws and flips the young blue and white wolf down, but Taji grabbed his tusks and escaped his grip, landing him down on his feet in all fours and he grabbed Mojag's hooves, throws him around and slams him on the ground multiple times.

Taji then bodyslammed him down to the ground while Mojag flattened Taji using his back, but not before Taji punched him in the stomach and head-butted him hard. Both of them continued on fighting each other and Mojag wanted to finish him off badly, but Taji made a backflip and then kicked Mojag's butt hard by using his own butt.

The crowd completely went nuts and Taji waves at the crowd, giving them the peace sign and basking in his victory. He chuckled softly and winks at a few girls, who in response winked back at him.

Later that day, Liu Shang ran up to Musaki and he said to him, "Dude, you were awesome!"

Musaki chuckled softly and said, "Not nearly as awesome as you. You threw down Kang-Dae like it's a big battle!"

Liu nodded his head and said, "Yep. All I needed to do was believe in myself...and I did. All thanks to you."

That touched Musaki's heart to know that what he said completely resonated with him and said, "It showed today."

Just then, Cody, Shao, Phoenix, Samurai and Tsunami came over and cheered for Musaki's amazing moves that day and Cody was the first one to say, "Dude, awesome butt-kicking, man!"

"You threw down that Jaa dude like nobody's business!" Samurai cheered happily.

"Definitely loved that part where you called him a pussycat. That was pure genius!" Phoenix added.

Musaki chuckled and said, "I've been waiting to use that line on Tigress, but I felt like I could use it on Jaa first."

Tsunami then looked at Liu Shang and he said, "Dude, I have a feeling that both you and Musaki might win this thing...if it was a tie-breaker."

Liu and Musaki looked at each other and they both said, "You sure?"

"Because I heard that Liu Shang might win this competition despite some people saying that Musaki would win." Shao explained.

They looked at each other, thinking there might be some rivalries going on with that, but Liu and Musaki took that in stride and Musaki only said, "Look, even if one of us don't win, we're still honored to even be here."

"I agree wholeheartedly." Liu Shang said, happily.

"Hey, you guys wanna hang out? My dad's throwing a little something for us." Shao added.

All of them looked at Shao and said, "Afterparty!"

* * *

More coming up!


	16. Competition Rolls On!

The competition is so close to being fierce! Play some of your favorite songs while reading this and imagine every song on this battle montage!

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Chapter 16: Competition Rolls On

Over the next several days, the finalist competition continued on as the six finalist keep fighting for the title of best kung-fu warrior of the future and with that...it started off with Taji tackling Jaa and Taji was gonna give this challenge everything he's got as Jaa quickly comes up to the young wolf, flipping him in the process, but Taji landed on his four feet and comes after him with a corkscrew kick which kicked him in the shin and landed on the ground.

Jaa growls at him and refuses to give up no matter how hard Taji takes him down and snarls at the young wolf and he quivkly grabs him by the tail and all Taji could do is let out a howl and spins around trying to get Jaa off, but with enough force. That did not go so well for Jaa because he was unaware that Taji doesn't like it when someone yanks his tail and he quickly ran to him and just punched him straight in the jaw and kicked him in the nuts really hard.

Despite the pain on the young tiger's groin, he continued to take Taji down by kicking and throwing him down as hard as he could, but he was soon outsmarted by the young wolf as he grabbed his wrist and flipped him in the air and then while Taji did a handstand, he swing kicked Jaa in the back and landed him on the wall.

Taji chuckled softly as he got back on his feet and when he came up to Jaa, he lets out a slight growl and said, "Rule number one; never touch the tail."

Later on, Musaki was next up to take down Kang-Dae, which was something the young boar was definitely looking forward to since he was beaten down by Liu Shang and Taji the other day and he lets out a snarl in front of Musaki and he said, "Revenge is a best dish served cold!"

Musaki scoffed at that comment and he said, "I don't believe in that word."

Kang-Dae got in all fours, leaned on his side and said, "Well, believe this!"

And with that, Kang-Dae quickly charged at Musaki, but for some reason, Musaki dodged his moves every chance he got and during the process, he threw the jackal around like a living rag doll and continued doing his swirling lynx round kicks he learned from Po and kicks Kang-Dae in the butt as hard as he could. The crowd definitely ate it up as they praised Musaki's amazing moves that he learned from the Dragon Warrior.

Kang-Dae couldn't take much more of being outsmarted by Musaki anymore and in a fit of rage, he lets out an angry scream and used his quick agility to tackle him, resulting in pinning him to the ground and throwing him across the arena, but Musaki grabbed onto the railings and he used a simple backflip and bodyslammed the jackal down to the ground.

Kang-Dae refused to call it quits and he asked, "What is it that's gonna take for you to give up?"

Musaki lets out a smirk and responds, "Nothing. Because I am unstoppable."

With that, Musaki does a breakdance move and does a spin-around move that results in flying in the air and back-kicking Kang-Dae in the face.

With Kang-Dae on the ground, the crowd cheered for Musaki more and all he could do is smile and feel honored that many residents are backing him up.

Lastly, it's Mojag against Liu Shang and the young boar was definitely looking forward to take down the lion yet again and as Mojag lets out smirk at him, Liu Shang was definitely serious about finishing this round and immediately, Mojag comes in charging at Liu, beating him in the jaw and back, but Liu Shang throws him off.

Liu Shang growls at the boar and he immediately went after him and started kicking him down and tripping him down on his legs, making him fall down. Mojag gets himself and tries to go at him again, only in the same result, but Liu didn't let the young boar take the victory and he immediately bodyslammed him to the ground, pouncing him down as hard as he could.

Mojag didn't want to back down on this one and he was ready to wrap this fight up so that the lion could lose, but of course, Liu Shang had other plans. As Mojag was about to give Liu Shang a bodyslam, Liu dodged the effort, letting Mojag fall down on the ground. Then, he picks Mojag up and gives him multiple rounds of kicks, punches, and multiple rounds of kung-fu moves.

The big finish; Liu Shang leaps from the air while Mojag tries to stop him, but instead...Liu Shang grabbed a hold of him and kicks him down, both landing in opposite directions.

Everyone went crazy for the big finish of the day and everyone was cheering for Liu Shang and he graciously bowed to them as he walked out of the arena. He chuckled softly and said, "That was awesome."

The next day comes and the finalists were using weapons this time to go along with the fighting skills. Mojag brought in his samurai sword while Kang-Dae brought in his and both of them were determined to take each other down as the two swords clashed together and a swordfight ensues. Kang-Dae tries to break him down, but with each attack, Mojag ducks down with every dodge he could take and completely went all out. Kang-Dae growls at him slightly and said, "I've been in training for years. So don't mess with my intellect!"

Mojag strikes him down with his fist and leaps up in the air with his sword, coming in with a twirl around and just kicked him in the shin and lands back on his feet and he said to Kang-Dae, "Well, I've been doing this since I was younger and it gives a lot of attention to all the ladies! Ladies love a musclar, good-looking...sexy kung-fu master."

Kang-Dae rolled his eyes and said, "A moment while I regurgitate."

They continued on with the sword-fight and then without any warning, Kang-Dae totally took down Mojag by punching him in the face as hard as he could, considering his first victory. He smirks at Mojag and said, "Now who's the loser?"

Next up, Taji brings in his wooden staff while Musaki brough his two sai and his samurai sword and started sparring each other with it. Taji comes at Musaki at close range by pelting him with the staff, but Musaki blocked them with his sai, twirling them around and as both weapons clash, Musaki went forward and did a backflip which pushed him down to the ground.

Musaki did a kung-fu/ninja pose while twirling his sais around while Taji comes at him, twisting his staff around and they both ran to each other as Musaki dodges his wrath and lunge at the wolf by using his fist and Taji did a backflip move while he threw his staff and kicked Musaki in the nose and caught his staff with his toes. He then grabs it with his hands and got back on his feet with a chuckle and said, "I'm also a gymnast."

"Cool, but can ya do this?" asked Musaki.

As Musaki went over to him, he spun around the air with his sais and threw them across Taji and the young wolf was astonished by it, but he brought something else to his sleeve; chinese throwing stars. He throws it to him, but he dodged them with his sword while spinning around, which amazed the crowd.

He then finished it off with kicking Taji in the face and flipped him down to the ground, making the crowd go insane for Musaki. He chuckled softly and told Taji, "You can thank the Jade Palace masters for my skills."

Lastly, Liu Shang took on Jaa, yet again; and Jaa was more determined than ever to bring Liu down with his sword, but Liu brought along his nunchuks to prepare himself. Jaa looks over and said, "Guess it's you and me again, lion cub!"

Liu immediately twirled his nunchuks around like a skilled ninja master and growls at him, showing that he means business. He comes at him and takes him down with his fists, but Jaa brought in his sword and Liu blocks it with his nunchuks and dodges every move he made very quickly, so much so that it's hard for jaa to keep up.

Jaa grew frustrated at Liu's speed and agility, thinking that he's way too quick for his own speed so he was determined to slow him down. He kicks and shoves him down with every which way but loose, but Liu leaps up to him, while holding onto his nunchuks and he twirls them around and kicks him in the mouth.

Jaa got back up on his feet and he immediately screamed over as he was running, trying to beat him up and tried to attack him with the sword, but Liu dodged it and he kicks Jaa's leg, causing him to trip over. Both felines went over to take each other down with and without their weapons and jaa took him down the hardest just by freestyling punches and throws, but Liu Shang became the clear fighter throughout by just pouncing him and back-kicking him down to the ground.

Jaa tries to punch him, but he grabbed his fist and flipped him all around and landed on the ground hard again. Everyone went crazy and cheered for Liu Shang and he smiled at them and then heads to Jaa and said, "Guess you got powned...again."

As Liu walks off, Musaki went over to him and he said, "Awesome usage of the weapons, my friend."

Liu chuckled softly and said, "I could say the same thing to you."

As they left the stadium, Musaki was definitely excited about what's gonna happen in the next round and the fifth day...is the final showdown to determine whether his final fight as a finalist will be tested, but one thing's for sure...it's a test Musaki will definitely pass.

* * *

It's all or nothing! Who will stand out on top? Here's how I imagine the songs for this battle; 'Misery Business' from Paramore, 'New Divide' from Linkin Park, 'Disturbia' from Rihanna and 'Like a G6' from Far East Movement. Your turn!


	17. The Big Finale

Two parts of the final fight for the contestants! And a little appearance from someone from the Jade Palace shows up for Musaki's support! Name some awesome songs for this one here!

* * *

Chapter 17: The Big Finale

It's the fifth day of the finalist competition which is also the finale of the battle to determine who's gonna stand out on top. Musaki was definitely excited to go for this and he was also happy to hear that not only will the finalists battle each other, but each one will battle Musaki. As he entered into the Rai Song Stadium, a very surprising face made an appearance out of flippin' nowhere when he spotted someone talking to Shao.

And he was shocked to see that that someone is...

"Arizona?"

Suddenly, Arizona turns around and his face lit up when he saw Musaki coming by and both of them exclaimed happily as they hugged each other, because Musaki did not expect Arizona to come by and support him. He looked at him and asked, "How'd you get here?"

Arizona chuckled softly and he replied, "I thought I might come by to not only surprise you, but support you. And I get to see your skills at work."

Musaki had to wonder if Shifu and the others know that he was here and he asked, "Does Shifu know you're here?"

"Yeah, he did. He noticed that on my letter that I wished I could see you compete, so he gave me a few days off training and here I am." Arizona answered.

Musaki was very happy to hear this for Arizona to come out and support him and said, "With you around, I think I'm gonna need all the support I can get."

Arizona nodded his head in agreement and said, "Good luck, Saki-dude. Kick serious ass, man."

Musaki rolled his eyes at that, but decided to take it anyway and said, "I'll try."

Later on, Arizona got into the audience and saw Cody, Samurai, Tsunami, Shao and Phoenix, sitting on the front row where he can see all the action take place. They were, except for Shao, surprised that he came there as he sat down in between Shao and Phoenix and Cody looks over and said, "Arizona, how long have you been here?"

Arizona looks at Cody and replied, "Late last night. Spent the night at Shin Hai's place."

Shao chuckled at him and said, "It's like me and Arizona had a little sleepover party for guys."

Tsunami rolled his eyes on that comment and asked, "Why weren't we invited?"

And suddenly, Phoenix looks over at Arizona and he said, "Also, we got a little surprise for ya."

Arizona stares at Phoenix to see what the surprise is and suddenly, all he got was a little tap on the shoulder and when he turned around, he sees a little tiger cub sitting behind him in the other row and to his surprise, it was Max.

"Hi, Arizona!" Max exclaimed.

Arizona could not believe what he was seeing...Max was in the audience behind his adopted brothers and Shao and he said, "Hey, little buddy! I didn't know you were here!"

"I've been here with my dad and my brothers rooting for Musaki for almost two weeks. I can't believe you're here." Max said, happily.

"It's awesome seeing you here." Arizona responded.

Max smiled a little and asked, "Did you like your surprise?"

Arizona lets out a smile and he said, "I was very surprised. Glad you could come."

Just then, the battle was about to start and as Oak Sung comes in the arena, there were mounds of cheers and applause all around the stadium, just looking forward o see this entire battle. Just then, he said, "Hello, everyone! I am glad to see that you're all here! Today, we're gonna go two directions; the final battle with the contestants and I've added in a bonus; my grandson will battle with the remaining finalists."

The crowd roared with intense cheering after that announcement and everyone was feeling the excitement pouring in. Then, Oak Sung graciously announced, "And now...once again, our six finalists!"

And with that, the crowd bursted with excitement as the finalists came to the stage and they cheered for Liu Shang, Mojag, Kang-Dae, Musaki, Jaa and Taji. Arizona rooted for Musaki and gave him a thumbs-up for good luck and Musaki responded with a thumbs-up as well and as they all faced each other, Oak Sung said, "All righty then...Taji will take on Jaa, Mojag on Kang-Dae and my grandson will take on Liu Shang."

Hearing the latter part made Musaki feel ready and Liu Shang more determined than ever and before the battle starts, Musaki and Liu Shang each gave each other a handshake to wish themselves the best of luck throughout this challenge and with the sound of a gong, the battle is on!

Jaa got on his stance as he was ready to bring Taji down a notch with his agility and quick moves as he charged him down in all fours, but he was stopped when Taji kicked him in the air and did a backflip as he landed on his back. Jaa threw him down on the ground and went straight for punching, kicking and shoving down in every chance he gets. But as soon as Jaa was ready to scratch him, Taji quickly charged at him and struck him with his head.

Taji snickered at Jaa as he was about to flip him down to the ground, but Jaa scratched him in the face and kicked him in the shin. Taji groans in pain, but he gets himself up and continues on sparring him as he grabbed him in a headlock and pummeled him down to the ground with multiple rounds of kicks and throws in the face.

Jaa began fuming with rage as he lets out another roar and grabbed a hold of Taji's arms and pinned him to the ground and kicks him in the nuts, but Taji kicks him in the stomach as well as he does a twist/spin directly towards Jaa's back.

Taji chuckled softly and said, "Powned!"

Next up, Mojag gets himself ready as he was set to take down Kang-Dae and the jackal was ready to take what is rightfully his...victory. Kang-Dae showed Mojag his gritting teeth to show who is boss and all the young boar could say was, "Man, you got problems."

"Shut up! Prepare to lose!" Kang-Dae barked.

Kang-Dae wasted no time charging at Mojag and he punched, kicked, shoved and threw him all around the stadium and when he repeated it again, Mojag grabbed Kang-Dae's fist and threw him to the other side of the arena and flipped him all around. The young boar then did a backflip and headed straight for his face as he kicked him as hard.

Mojag was about to try his new manuever, but Kang-Dae grabs his leg and just threw him to the ground and pounded him multiple times and slammed him down to the ground. The jackal flipped him down over and over and over again, but Mojag stopped him dead in his tracks as he bit on the jackal's paw and kicked him in the butt.

Kang-Dae snarled at him and he completely beat him down in total with multiple amounts of brutality and punched Mojag in the nose, jaw and groin. As Mojag fell down on the ground, Kang-Dae smirked at the boar and said, "Finally got my victory!"

Lastly, Liu Shang faces off with Musaki as both of them stared at each other, ready to throw down with each other, but there was nothing they could ask for than to compete with each other again to show off their skills. Liu lets out a smirk at him and he said, "Ready for me, panda?"

Musaki smiles at Liu and he responded, "Let's do this, young lion warrior."

The term 'young lion warrior' seems to fit Liu Shang very easily and he graciously took that title and as the gong strikes, Liu Shang quickly leaps at him and shoves him down, but Musaki stopped him in his tracks by grabbing his fist and throwing him to the other side of the stadium. Liu Shang gets himself up and goes with the kicks, punches and front flips aimed directly at Musaki.

Musaki charges at the young lion with full force as he uses his spin and tumble moves by jumping in the air and flips him down to the ground. Liu snarls and gets himself back up and pins him down, rolling around the stadium, but Musaki shoves him down and bodyslams him. Liu pops out of him and he does a 360-degree twist spin where he spins his entire body around and knocks him down for the count.

Then, Liu comes at him with some punches, but Musaki quickly dodged every single one of them and instead head-butts him. Then, Musaki kept going by doing some backflip kicks and a corkscrew move that sent him towards the wall. But Liu wasn't ready to give up yet.

He immediately charges at him quickly and pins him down again and continued with more moves than anyone's ever seen. Arizona was surprised at not only how quick Musaki is, but the young lion got come crazy moves also. Liu Shang spun himself around and lands several quick punches thrown at Musaki, but suddenly...Musaki leaps out of nowhere and he does a backflip where he sent himself to the air and falls down, spinning his entire body down and lands on Liu Shang on the chest.

All Liu could do was lay there, but he gets himself back up and finishes Musaki off by kicking him in the face and landing him to the ground. Musaki gets himself up and starts panting heavily and to their surprise, the crowd cheered for both of them because they had the best freakin' moves they ever witnessed in years.

Liu Shang looks at Musaki for a bit and he could see that he's got a lot of stuff and said, "Pretty cool, Musaki."

Musaki smiles at Liu Shang as he too was awestruck by his amazing moves...for someone so young. He chuckled softly and said, "Dude, I tip my bandana to you...the best warrior."

Liu couldn't help but be so humbled by this and they both ended up bowing to each other, showing they still have respect for each other and their skills.

Oak Sung then comes out and said, "That was amazing! Liu Shang...you're the first to take down my grandson on this round. Since doing so, you can let Taji, Mojag, Jaa and Kang-Dae battle him today. Congratulations."

Musaki chuckled softly and said, "Dude, that means you can watch the whole thing with the audience since you already sparred with me."

Liu Shang nodded his head in agreement and he said, "Good luck, buddy."

* * *

Now...Musaki is going solo for taking down the rest of the finalists! Liu Shang had his turn and now it's gonna be awesome! You have any song suggestions that describes this chapter?


	18. Battling with Musaki

Part two of the epic final fight! Play some of your favorite songs and list them all as you're reading and reviewing!

* * *

Chapter 18: Battling with Musaki

As the second leg of the battle began, Musaki was anticipating for this moment to come forth where he had to take down the remaining finalists; Taji, Mojag, Jaa and Kang-Dae since he already started off battling Liu Shang earlier. He looks up at the audience and sees Liu sitting towards the front row close to the arena and Liu gave him a thumbs-up to wish him good luck and Musaki smiled in response for that.

Soon enough, the announcer came forward and said, "First in line to battle Musaki...is Taji!"

The crowd roared with excitement when they heard that Musaki's gonna take down Taji and believe it or not, he's got some tricks up his sleeve that he will most likely use for this competition. And when Taji came out of the arena, he was looking forward for this moment to occur. Taji looked up at Musaki with a challenged yet ready look on his face like this is it.

"Are you ready for this, Musaki?" asked Taji.

Musaki smiled at him and replied, "Oh, yeah!"

As the gong sounds, Taji came running towards him and planned to tackle him, but Musaki got out of the way by leaping right behind him and the young wolf went around to wrestle him, but Musaki threw him towards the ground as far as he could. Taji went over and brought him some kicks, flips, twists, spins and punches landing on Musaki, but Musaki either dodged or missed some of the efforts Taji made trying to make his move in.

Musaki grabbed ahold of Taji's fist and threw him towards the other side of the arena and bodyslammed him towards Taji's back. Taji quickly got him off by using his back and he pins him down to the ground, but Musaki slipped out underneath him and came out of the wolf's way, intensifying the crowd's massive applause and cheers.

Taji snuck behind Musaki, planning to flip him but ultimately, Musaki grabbed Taji's fist and flipped him down to the ground as well. Arizona, Shao, Cody and Samurai cheered for Musaki after that move and Samurai started laughing heartily and said, "This dude didn't even see it coming! Musaki's too smart for him."

"Yeah, Saki don't play around anywhere." Arizona added.

Both Taji and Musaki came around sparring each other and with every effort, Musaki would dodge and Taji would also dodge as well and they threw in frontflip kicks, lean back to avoid getting hit and leaped towards each other. Then, Taji comes forward and grabs Musaki in a headlock, planning on punning him for the count, but Musaki found a way to break free, he stomped on Taji's toe and kicked him in the face.

Then, Musaki comes running in and he slams Taji down with his belly, throwing him further from the walls and Taji landed on Musaki, punching him in the jaw, but is still on his feet. Both of them started panting really heavily and as the gong sounds, time was up.

The crowd cheered loudly as ever, praising Musaki's newfound skills and putting them to good use and as Taji looks up, he chuckled softly and said, "Man, you know your way around using your moves."

"It's a gift." Musaki replied.

Next up, Mojag comes forward to take Musaki down, which is something he was definitely excited to do so and once again, he did it with his shirt off, showing off the muscles and pecs to the audience, much to their astonishment and some to their disgust and Musaki was completely considered it really annoying and he said, "Must you show them off? This ain't a fashion show, dude."

Mojag snorts at Musaki and said, "I've brought my own stamina for this."

Musaki rolled his eyes at Mojag after making that claim and he asked, "Yeah, but who wants it?"

Half of Musaki's friends responded with a 'whoa!', like he's really serious and Mojag took that as an insult and he said, "Dude, you don't wanna mess with me! I'm still the real badass!"

With that, he charged at Musaki with his tusks, but Musaki rolled out of the way and made a kung-fu pose and forced him to come here and Mojag quickly obliged to do so and Musaki drive-kicked him in the nose and fell down to the ground. The young boar gets himself back up and goes at it again, only this time...he's bringing out all the punches and kicks he can give him.

But apparently...none of them seem to bring Musaki down as he still stood there, with barely a mark on him. He asked, "Ya through now?"

Then, he went forward and just did a twirl and kicked him in the nose and as he was watching Mojag fall down, he could see that he's still not giving up. The young boar charged him down and he grabbed Musaki's wrist and threw him towards the wall. For what it looked like a mere second, he was unconscious. The crowd was stunned when he was knocked out hard and all Mojag could do is let out a smirk and plan to finish him off. But as he was walking towards him, Musaki slowly opened his eyes and waited for the right time to use a little sneak attack against him.

As Mojag planned to kick him, Musaki quickly grabbed his leg, leaving the crowd startled but awestruck to see that he's still fighting and just turned around and saw a very stunned, shocked and pissed off Mojag in disbelief thinking he was still knocked out and he asked, "Thought I was done?"

Then, he got up and did a furious spin-around move and threw him down to the ground hard, leaving the crowd roaring with a big cheer for Musaki, like he owned this round. He could hear the cheerings of Kiba, Hige, Toboe, Tsume, some of Musaki's cousins and friends, rooting for him.

Arizona could not be any happier for Musaki and he said, "Win this competition, man!"

Next up, he was up against Jaa and the young tiger knew that this was all business as he was still determined to break him down even further after the last attempts to and Jaa showed his fangs towards Musaki and said, "If I have to win, I will thrash your panda butt down a notch...harder and more painful!"

Musaki wasn't deterred by Jaa's remarks and he only said, "Dude, go ahead. I don't care."

Musaki knew he was gonna take Jaa down anyway and Jaa was looking forward to crushing him more than anything, so he wasted no time charging at him and he just kicked, punched, shoved and planned to claw him down, but Musaki grabbed his wrist and threw him across the arena and he got down on the ground and rolled him down like it was no one's business much to the crowd's complete amazement.

Jaa furiously roars at him and slammed him down, threw him, punched him and backflipped kicked him down, trying to do everything he can to make sure that Musaki messed with the wrong person, but obviously, Musaki is the most skilled of all the finalists and has the driving force to bring it on home and Jaa pounced on his back, trying to choke him down, but Musaki spun his head around to release him from his grip and once he got him off, Jaa still came forward to just beat him down with his moves and pinned him down again.

"You are still gonna regret making me lose more than once! Now you will see what that feels like!" Jaa shouted, angrily.

"Dude, it's a competition. You can't always win at everything. You can try, but..."

Musaki grabbed Jaa's fist and broke him off his grip and kicked him in the rear end and dodged every kick Jaa would attempt to try to and tripped his leg, losing his balance and falling down.

Musaki then came to him and said, "...there's always gonna be someone better."

Jaa seethes at him and planned to tackle him again, but in a reverse effect, Musaki pins Jaa down himself and said, "What goes around comes around, man."

All of the crowd rooted for Musaki and he looked up at the crowd and basked in his glory of a clear victory, but nothing changed him as he is still honored to be in the competition.

Lastly, Musaki dodged every move that Kang-Dae would throw at him and when the young jackal tries to bring him down, all Musaki could do is to not let him get in his way and focus on finishing the task.

"You're not gonna bring me down!" Kang-Dae shouted.

Kang-Dae flipped him down and tried to punch him in the nose and mouth, but Musaki used every ounce of moves he could muster, especially when he used his small yellow-blue orb that came out of his hands and thrashed Kang-Dae down hard.

Somehow, Kang-Dae was hit, but he still kept going regardless and as the jackal tried to punch him again, Musaki missed it again, leaving Kang-Dae almost falling down and once he got back up on his feet, Musaki drive punched him and head-butted him as hard as he could.

Musaki's growing determination frustrated Kang-Dae because regardless of his moves, he still gets himself back up on his feet and he said, "Why won't you give up?"

Musaki only stared at him for a moment and he said, "No need to. Because a competition is a competition. And to me, it doesn't matter if I win or lose. It matters if I can finish the job."

Kang-Dae wanted to end this job quickly and swiftly and as he planned to finish him down, Musaki jumps up in the air and kicks him in the butt hard. The entire crowd started cheering loudly and even Liu Shang was convinced that he might be the clear winner because of his determination and perseverance and it was rubbing off on the entire crowd.

Oak Sung comes forward and gives Musaki a round of applause and he said, "My grandson, ladies and gentlemen!"

Musaki looks at his grandfather with a smile and when he saw his grandfather smile back, he could tell that he's proud of his grandson...no matter what.

"Come tomorrow evening, we will find out who wins the entire competition! And I just want you all to know that no matter who comes out on top, you are all winners in your hearts. Just be proud of yourselves for coming this far and most importantly, you are all your own warriors."

Soon enough, Liu Shang came in the arena along with Taji and stood beside Musaki for his support as well as Max, Arizona, Shao, Shin Hai, Cody, Samurai, Tsunami, Manny, Kato, Kiba, Hige, Toboe, Tsume, Phoenix and Mako to give Musaki a huge support system. That to him, is considered a big victory.

* * *

Next chapter...the results of who wins this round! Who's it gonna be? Find out next! Also, happy early birthday to Tyson the Wolf Omega! Hope you have an awesome sweet 16!


	19. An Unexpected Win

I kept ya waiting long enough! And it all comes down to this! Who wins this competition?

* * *

Chapter 19: An Unexpected Win

As the next day comes, everyone in Shanghai Secluded Valley kept talking about Musaki's solo round after the last round of the day yesterday and predicted that he'll take first place, even though it's unclear whether or not it's possible. Somehow, Musaki heard some of the rumors himself that he's the possible winner of this competition because he outshined the most, but he never seemed to notice it because he knew it already. But whatever happens after will happen and even if he doesn't win, at least he's content with how he's made it this far and that he still has his families support; his relatives and his Jade Palace family.

Liu Shang caught up with him and he said, "Hey, Saki. How goes?"

Musaki looks over and sees Liu coming in front of him and he said, "Not much. Just taking a walk."

"So...how do you think the results will be later tonight?" asked Liu Shang.

Musaki lets out a little sigh and then looks at the young lion for a minute and he said, "You know, I don't really think too much about what's gonna happen whether who wins or not. All I can say is that it's still an honor to just be there and that's good enough for me."

Liu Shang was a little skeptical about how it'll be and who will come out on top because he's done remarkably well within a short period of time in that competition and Musaki can tell that the whole experience was on his mind and he puts his hand on his shoulder and said, "You're nervous, I see."

Liu tried to hide it, but nothing could escape what Musaki was already thinking and with that, he lets out a big sigh and said, "If one of us don't win, does that mean we fail?"

"Nah. It doesn't matter if we won or not. In anyway, we should accept whatever happens and congratulate the winner who really deserves it. What's important is that it's not so much what we got or what we do, it's the journey that got us there." Musaki replied.

One simple grasp into Musaki's words and Liu already knew...that in his eyes, he sees Musaki as a person he can rely on and that lifts up everyone's heavy spirit. He wished that he'd met someone like him a long time ago. He then said, "You're a good friend."

"So are you."

* * *

Later that night...

The entire crowd went into ultra-drive drones as they flooded the Rai Song Stadium to see who's winning the entire competition and as they reached closer and closer into this game, all of them were anxiously waiting with bated breath to see who's it gonna be. Most of them are predicting that Musaki would win since he's next in line by Bushido-Akio blood to either win or participate in this round and garner ultimate victory.

Just as the six finalists were getting ready, Oak Sung comes out in front of them and he said, "Remember...whomever wins this entire competition must be proud of themselves who came this far and know that you're still winners in your hearts no matter what the results."

Musaki completely understood everything he said and as he watched his grandfather walked his way towards the stadium, he's couldn't be more proud of his grandfather than ever before. He lets out a smile knowing that everything will going smoothly. Just then, Kang-Dae noticed Musaki being happy and that still frustrates him to the extent and said, "Dude, what's with the smile? Is this a freakin' joke to you?"

Musaki totally ignored the jackal's outburst, but Taji came to his defense and said, "Dude, what's your problem?"

"I've been beaten by that damn panda too many times! I deserve to win this competition!" Kang-Dae shouted, angrily.

"Like hell you will! I will win this thing!" Jaa shouted.

Liu Shang lets out a roar to stop the fight before it turns ugly and he said, "Will you two shut up for five minutes? Is winning all you ever think about?"

"Uh...YEAH!" they both answered, in unison.

"And since when do you tell us what to do? You're they youngest one here!" Jaa growled.

Liu snorts at that comment and said, "Age is nothing but a number."

Suddenly, they can hear Oak Sung call out the finalists to come to the stage and Musaki went in first along with the rest of them and they all faced the sound of cheering fans coming in as they walked past them and they knew that this is it. The moment of truth.

As they headed towards Oak Sung, the elderly panda went forward and said, "Good evening, folks! I am glad that you're all here to see who wins this competition. We've had a successful run these past 2 weeks seeing every single one of them battle with great force that stands out from the rest of them. And now...we announce the winners of this year's competition for our six finalists."

Everyone was waiting with bated breath to see who's gonna win this whole thing and most of them took a look at Musaki for a second thinking that he'll win this round and as Oak Sung received the ribbons, all six of them were counted for which place they were in.

"Our sixth place winner goes to..."

*drumroll*

"Kang-Dae."

Everyone was clapping and hearing the word 'sixth place' didn't seem to take Kang-Dae very well, knowing that he finished in sixth place and as he received his ribbon, on the outside, he was a little upset that he didn't win, but inside...he wanted to rip Oak Sung's throat out for no reason.

"Our fifth place winner goes to..."

*drumroll*

"Jaa Mick."

That shocked Jaa to the core, after hearing that he took fifth place and when he received his ribbon, Jaa was a little furious that he finished fifth, but at least he didn't finish last.

"Our fourth place winner goes to..."

*drumroll*

"Mojag."

Liu Shang and Musaki were shocked to hear that Mojag finished in fourth place above Jaa and Kang-Dae and even though Mojag felt like he didn't deserve it, he felt like it was better than being in sixth place and he snorted as the ribbon was put on.

'This is screwed up.' Mojag thought.

"Our third place winner goes to..."

*drumroll*

"Taji."

Liu Shang and Musaki cheered for Taji as he took third place and when he received a third place ribbon, all he could do is just smile and accept this honor and he looked at the others and said, "Good luck to you both."

Liu was the most nervous, but Musaki was calm, cool and collected about who's gonna be the front-runner or the runner-up. Either way for him, it's all good.

"Our second place winner goes to..."

*drumroll*

"Xing-Fu Musaki Ko-Kanji Bushido-Akio Meng Cheng Xi-Wang."

The entire crowd was stunned and shocked to hear that Musaki went in second place and it even shocked Liu Shang the most when Musaki was the runner-up, but the only person that was okay with that was Musaki himself. And when he received that second place ribbon, he just took it all in stride and just accepted whatever's gonna happen next.

Some of Musaki's cousins and his friends were completely shocked that Musaki was the runner-up, even Arizona was the most stunned of all people, but when he saw that Musaki was fine with it, he seemed to turn from shocked to understanding.

And as Musaki looked at the crowd, the crowd stares at him back with so much sympathy that he lost. But as he smiled towards them, he said, "I wanna say a few words. Like I said before, even if I don't win, it's still any honor to be here that I made it this far and I already feel like I am a warrior...at heart. You guys giving me support and even more...being there to root for me, that's good enough of a victory for me."

Those words touched people's hearts knowing that Musaki can take whatever happens to him and Oak Sung could see that time in the Jade Palace made him see a positive perspective on life and he couldn't be more proud of his grandson more than ever.

Then, he went up and said, "Excellent wisdom, Xing-Fu. Let this be told for everyone here today. My grandson has already come out a winner."

And with that, he was gonna give out the first prize gold ribbon and he said, "And the first place winner is..."

*drumroll*

"LIU SHANG!"

The entire crowd went in crazy cheering droves when they heard that Liu Shang is the winner and for some reason, Liu could not believe that this was happening and as everyone cheered for him, the young lion didn't seem to think that this is real. He'd hoped that it was Musaki, but apparently...he won the entire freakin' tournament. As he looked at Musaki, he could see him clapping for his friend and with a smile, Musaki said, "Congrats, man. You're the skilled winner."

Liu Shang was still shocked and numb from this reaction, but he figured out that this is really happening. As Oak Sung gave him the first place golden medal, the elderly panda looked at the young lion and said, "Congratulations, young lion. You are the winner of this kung-fu competition."

Liu was definitely humbled, but he also felt like he was in his happy place for the first time he received that medal and all those years of slim chances were being demolished because he finally accomplished something huge...at such a young age.

Also, Oak Sung added, "Liu Shang is not only the winner of this competition, but at 14, he's this year's youngest winner!"

Suddenly, confetti, streamers and fireworks came bursting out of the sky to celebrate this epic win and Liu Shang basked in that stream of glory that he greatly accomplished for so long and it was something he would most likely dream for.

Later on, Liu Shang walks out of the Rai Song Stadium with his life completely changed, but as he looked at his medal, he began thinking what if Musaki had won instead of him. Did he really deserve it? Everyone had such high hopes that Musaki would win and when it was told that he was in second place, Liu felt like he took it all away from him, even though it's not the case at all.

"Congrats, man."

Just then, Liu looked from behind and he sees Musaki standing there with a smile on his face and the young lion comes up to him and he wasn't sure what to say. It was like he didn't expect any of this to happen before and he asked, "Why me? I'm like barely known here and...I never knew this would come out. Me being the winner and you in second place."

Musaki chuckled softly and said, "Look, Liu...you have the greater skills. Everything always happen for a reason. Maybe this is one of those reasons."

"Yeah, but...you deserve it more than I do. I'm just a young lion from out of nowhere that left home for this." Liu said, softly.

Musaki got down to Liu's level and he asked, "Remember when you told me you wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this despite everyone else's objections?"

"Yeah."

Musaki smiled and said, "You proved everyone else wrong. You're the winner you always wanted to be. You just followed your heart and did what you set out here to do...even though you're 14 years old. All your skills got you to where you are now and all you can do is just be proud of yourself and be grateful to your skills. I know for a fact that you wouldn't trade this talent for anything in the world."

Then, Liu looks up at Musaki and still felt like he took Musaki's victory from him and he said, "I still think you deserve first place."

"Hey, I'll take what I can get. As I've said before, whatever happens happens. And I'm still honored to be here, doing my family proud. And it shows. Besides, I've already won."

Liu looked at him confused after hearing Musaki saying that he already won and he asked, "What?"

"I won the best freakin' opportunity of a lifetime and to be able to be appreciated and supported for my efforts...what more could I ask for? It's the best victory win I ever got. But more so...the friendship I endured along the way."

Musaki stuck out a paw to give Liu a handshake and he asked, "Friends forever?"

Liu looks at him and despite being an unexpected winner, nothing would get in the way of their friendship they formed in a short time and he gladly shook his hand and turned it into a hug as they embraced each other and said, "Forever. Thanks for believing in me."

"Anytime. Just be grateful for this experience as I am." Musaki said.

Suddenly, both of them went back to the stage and they were both cheering for both Liu Shang and Musaki and even though they cheered for Liu, Musaki got the most support from the other side of the crowd and Oak Sung came by and said, "Even though my grandson is the runner-up, he is still the 20th bloodline for participating in this competition right next to his father."

"Sakamoto Bushido-Akio, may he rest in peace." the entire crowd said.

"I can see the future holds bright for both our winner and our runner-up and both of them are warriors in our valley. Let's congratulate our winner for their efforts, skills, stamina and also...their abilities."

As the remaining finalists got around Liu Shang and Musaki, all they could do is bask in the glory knowing that they've made it this far and for Musaki, he felt like he's already a winner and that he's proud of himself for coming this far.

And Musaki could hear someone saying something on his mind that would be given a huge boost in him.

'Well done, my son. I am very proud of you.'

It was his father's voice in his head and he knew that he had made his parents proud of how he's come this far in a long way.

'Thanks, dad.' Musaki thought.

* * *

Did you expect that to happen? I kinda came up with that idea earlier this spring because Musaki can take whatever life's thrown at him and that he'll take everything in stride and of course, Musaki would always congratulate others and still be friends with them, which is the point in this story. There's more coming up!


	20. Closing Ceremony

Here's where the ceremony wraps up!

* * *

Chapter 20: Closing Ceremony

The next day comes around and everyone's gearing up for the big finale for the closing ceremony of the kung-fu competition and as Musaki was walking past them, almost everyone stopped and turned to him, just giving him a massive applause for his efforts while cheering him on, still believing that he's a first-place winner in that competition. Musaki stopped and saw all of them cheering for him despite the fact that he finished second place and didn't know what to make of it.

"What's going on here?" Musaki asked, confusedly.

Mango stepped forward and stood towards Musaki and said, "You have got yourself a gift, Xing-Fu. Never stop believing in yourself."

Musaki figured that Mango was referring to his second-place finish at the competition and he could see that everyone is happy for him, no matter what he does.

"Listen, I don't really care about winning or getting all the accolades from China. All I want to do is just do a good job and like I said, even if I don't win, I'm still honored to even be here." Musaki answered.

"That's right. You are." one monkey said.

Musaki definitely felt humbled above anything and he figured he has all of Shanghai Secluded Valley to back him up and still support him and Mango went on to say, "We are all very proud of you."

"Aw, why me? if anything, you should be happy for Liu Shang." Musaki said, modestly.

"We are...but after seeing both of you, we can all learn a thing or two from all this; there's no greater battle that teamwork and friendship. And nothing can stand in the way of that. You two are the clear winner to us and Xing-Fu...you'll always be a winner in our hearts."

Hearing that really warmed up Musaki's heart the most as the entire valley bowed to him and he took it as a way of saying that he has all of his father's traits; loyalty, determination but most importantly; a very good heart. He bowed to them back and said, "I'm glad to have all of you guys back into my life. I feel as though I've already won the best prize; some supporters."

As Musaki walked away feeling light-hearted, in comes Liu Shang and Taji coming by and as they caught up with him, Liu still felt happy and Taji was very excited and Musaki said, "What's up, guys?"

"Not much. For some reason, every girl in this valley has admitted to having a crush on Liu Shang." Taji added.

Liu started blushing after Taji gave this information away and Musaki looks at him and said, "Liu! Sounds like you're quite the charmer here."

"It's nothing." Liu said, embarassedly.

Musaki chuckled at this and said, "Dude, it's cool to win, but try not to let all of this get into your head. Just stay true to who you are and never lose sight of it."

Liu chuckled softly and said, "I won't...and it's all because of you. You pretty much gave me courage, strength and the ability to go with what I wanted to do in the first place...and I did. And all I did is believe in myself."

Taji was surprised to hear that Musaki gave Liu Shang some encourgaing words to boost himself up for finishing what he set out to do and ended up winning the entire thing and he said, "You're like a young Sensei, aren't ya?"

Musaki chuckled softly at this and he said, "Living in the Jade Palace has helped me into doing some soul-searching and also helped me to believe in myself in doing kung-fu. It also rekindles my perspective on life and led me to find my purpose to be optimistic about my future."

Taji looked at Musaki and he said, "So basically, you're like a philosopher or something."

"Something like that." Musaki answered.

Just then, they seek Cody, Samurai, Tsunami, Phoenix, Max, Arizona and Mako come forward and saw Musaki there with Liu Shang and Taji and all Musaki could say is, "Hey, guys. What's up?"

Most of them were expecting Musaki a little disappointed that he didn't win, but from the look on Musaki's face, he was anything but disappointed and Arizona went forward and said, "Dude, I'm so sorry that you lost."

"Hey, don't be. It had to happen sometime...even though I got the best skills and moves, I'm still honored to be there." Musaki answered.

Mako looks at his nephew and sees that the loss didn't make a dent in his optimistic personality and he said, "You know, your dad has won or lost a round, but whatever the result ends up being, he doesn't let anything like this get to his head and I could see that the same effect has passed on. But congrats on being the 20th family member to just participate in this competition. I can tell that you've made it this far and all that matters is that we're very proud of you."

Samurai came towards him and said, "That speech you gave out...I can tell that you can take whatever life throws at you and still keep going after you fall down."

"It speaks from the heart." Musaki added.

Then, Samurai's eyes shifted from Musaki to Liu Shang and he got down to his level and said, "Congratulations, Liu Shang. Your moves are freakin' awesome, but not as awesome as my cuz."

Liu Shang chuckled softly and offered his paw to him and said, "I'm honored to have battled your cousin."

Everyone else shook Liu Shang's paw and also Taji while congratulating them on their awesome efforts during the competition round Max went forward to Liu Shang and said, "You're very lucky to win."

"It's not about luck. It's about believing in myself. That's how it got me to where I am. I had to follow my dreams and my heart and I guess I never expected any of this to happen because I thought that I would just come in and show off my skills to everyone." Liu Shang explains.

Mako smiled at the young lion and said, "Both you and my nephew have a future ahead of you."

"So...are you guys excited about the closing ceremony tonight?" asked Cody.

Liu Shang, Musaki and Taji looked at each other and said, in unison, "You bet we are!"

**Rai Song Stadium**

As sunset falls down on Shanghai Secluded Valley, everyone in the entire valley were looking forward to come out and celebrate the entire night to close off this amazing ceremony and as Musaki, Liu Shang and Taji walked inside the arena, they saw the last three finalists; Jaa, Mojag and Kang-Dae standing there and all of a sudden, Mojag comes forward to Musaki and all Musaki could say, "Look, Liu won fair and square, man. There's no need for a rematch."

"Dude, I wasn't gonna say that. That little speech you made last night...it was actually pretty cool." Mojag stated.

Musaki didn't expect Mojag to say something like this to him and he said, "Thanks."

"For a skinny panda."

Musaki lets it slide for a while and suddenly, Mojag sticks out his hand in hopes for a handshake to make sure that they're cool and without hesitation, Musaki shook his hand and Mojag said, "Maybe if you can teach me those moves, I can use it in another sparring competition."

"Well...only if you're in the Valley of Peace." Musaki added.

Just then, Kang-Dae looks at Musaki and just lets out an angry stare, realizing that he's still not over being in fifth place and that Liu Shang didn't really deserve it and said, "You still make me sick, panda."

Then, the jackal turns to Liu Shang and just said nothing, but a scoff at him thinking that the young lion did not deserve it. Suddenly, Jaa comes forward stares at both Musaki and Liu Shang and had no idea that they're still friends even after this battle and he said, "How can you two still be friends after this battle is over?"

"We just are. The results of the competition still doesn't change us either way. As I've said a million times, it's an honor just to be here and we'll take in whatever comes our way." Musaki added.

"Yeah, it's because of him that I believed in myself and it got me where I am now." Liu Shang added.

"But no matter what, it's just a simple tournament."

That left Jaa completely confused but burning inside with rage that he came in last place and merely snarled at him as he walks off and Taji looks at them and turns to Musaki and said, "Well, at least we all handled it very maturely."

Just then, all six of the finalists as well as the other contestants that came to battle on the first week walked into the arena for the final time, facing the entire crowd and waving at them. They all came around and gave each other a handshake and high-fives for their effort, congratulating them for making it this far. Kang-Dae and jaa were reluctant to shake Musaki and Liu Shang's hand because they didn't really deserve to lose, but shook it anyway.

Suddenly, Oak Sung came forward to the stage and he said, "Good evening! I am extremely humbled and honored to see you all come forward to this celebrated occasion. And for our six finalists, it's an honor to see you all come forward and to know you've come a long way since day one. And I am proud to close out this ceremony with a huge party!"

The crowd cheered loudly and suddenly, there was music playing everywhere and suddenly, Musaki stepped towards the stage, planning to show them that he did more than kung-fu...he started singing to the crowd.

"I know you guys didn't expect me for this, but I wrote a song while I was here and this is dedicated to my friends, family and also...the finalists and it's still an honor for me to even come here and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm really glad I took it. So I hope you enjoy this."

The drum starts beating and everyone in the crowd was curious about his second talent, Musaki started to sing.

_Give me a second I,  
I need to get my story straight  
My friends and I are in the sky, flying higher than the Empire State  
My family's out there waiting for me, not so very far  
My position's been taken by some opportunity to heal my past scar, and  
I know I told myself this months ago  
I know I'm trying not to forget  
But between the skills and subtle things  
The choices in my victory, you know  
I'm trying hard not to look back  
So if by the time it's all over  
And I feel like falling down  
I'll find my way home_

_Tonight  
We are young  
So let's set the world on fire  
We can burn brighter than the sun_

_Tonight_  
_We are young_  
_So let's set the world on fire_  
_We can burn brighter than the sun_

_Now I know that I'm not  
All that I got  
I guess that I, I just thought  
Maybe I could find a new way to follow my heart  
But my friends got my back  
So let's raise a fist  
'Cause I found someone to find my way home_

_Tonight  
We are young  
So let's set the world on fire  
We can burn brighter than the sun_

_Tonight_  
_We are young_  
_So let's set the world on fire_  
_We can burn brighter than the sun_

_Just then, the crowd starts singing along with Musaki._

_Find my way home tonight (Nananananana)  
Just find my way home tonight (Nananananana)  
Find my way home tonight (Nananananana)  
Just find my way home tonight (Nananananana)_

_The world is on my side  
I have no reason to run  
So will someone come and help me find my way home tonight_

_Tonight  
We are young  
So let's set the world on fire  
We can burn brighter than the sun_

_Tonight_  
_We are young_  
_So let's set the world on fire_  
_We can burn brighter than the sun_

_So if by the time it's all over_  
_And I feel like falling down_  
_I'll find my way home tonight_

The crowd cheered and applauded at Musaki's performance and all he did was take a bow and even some of his finalists were blown away by it and as he got off the stage, everyone celebrated the night away and they played a lot of dance music while everyone was dancing to the beat of it. Even Liu Shang and taji got into Musaki's breakdancing moves and joined in as well. Not only that, but Musaki's cousins and friends joined in as well, having fun and finally letting loose.

And suddenly, they seek fireworks popping out of nowhere and all they could do is just enjoy the view and enjoy a huge array of victory.

The next morning, Musaki walked to the Rai Song Stadium by himself, just looking around for a while and all of the memories of the competition played on his mind as he felt like the experience changed his life for the better and he always wanted to come out as a strong warrior. But he came out more than that...he came out as a very humble and grateful warrior.

"Wow. The aftermath looks insane from here."

Musaki turns around and sees Liu Shang come in the arena and both of them looked at each other for a while and Musaki said, "Yeah, looks like it."

"Hey, Musaki. We had a lot of fun here, didn't we?" Liu Shang asked.

Musaki chuckled softly and said, "You bet we did. You planning on coming back to your village?"

Liu Shang stared at him for a bit and lets out a heavy sigh and said, "Actually, I'm thinking about staying here."

That surprised him to the core to hear Liu say that he's staying in Shanghai Secluded Valley and asked, "Really? What made you tihnk that way?"

"Honestly, there are really good people here and to me, it's like a family aspect here. What's good about that...is that I made new friends."

Musaki smiled at Liu Shang for a minute and figured that the best thing that Liu did while coming to Shanghai Secluded Valley is meeting Musaki and being friends with him and with that, they hugged each other tightly and Musaki said, "You're gonna love it here."

Just then, in comes Arizona and Shao coming by the arena and Arizona said, "Hey, guys. How's it going?"

They looked up and saw Arizona and Shao standing there alongside Shin Hai and Liu Shang said, "Pretty good, actually."

"Hey, Liu. Congrats, man. You're gonna like living in Shanghai Secluded Valley." Shin Hai said, happily.

Shao looks up and said, "Saki, you'll always be a winner to all of us, even me. And in here...we still love ya, man."

Musaki smiled at Shao and said, "Thanks, Shao."

Arizona walks up to Musaki and tells him, "I think we might as well head back to the Valley of Peace."

Liu Shang walks over to him and asked, "Do you really have to go?"

Musaki sighed and replied, "Yeah, I have to. But we will see each other again."

All of them walked out of the stadium, feeling victorious already, but to Musaki, he felt like he's more victorious than he ever has...because he has family and friends to support and will always come home to.

* * *

Was that awesome or what? With the dance music, I imagined 'Till the World Ends' from Britney Spears or 'Tonight Tonight' from Hot Chelle Rae. What's a better dance song? Also, the song Musaki sung is 'We Are Young' from fun. I changed up the lyrics for that one. There's more coming up!


	21. Coming Back Home

Before Musaki leaves, he shows Liu Shang and Taji his old home he lived with his parents before they died.

* * *

Chapter 21: Coming Back Home

Before Musaki sets off for home, he wanted to show Taji and Liu Shang something that's been special to him all these years until his parents died and when they headed to Musaki's former home, both of them were blown away by how it looks by the waterfalls and the cavern beneath it as if it was a spacious and breathtaking place to call home.

"That's amazing." Taji said, breathlessly.

Musaki chuckled softly and asked, "Pretty cool, huh?"

Liu Shang chuckled at this and wondered how did Musaki get to live in this place with his parents in his early life and he said, "How come you haven't stayed there this long?"

All Musaki could do is let out a heavy exhale and said, "I wish I could've been...then it'd be just me and my parents. But sadly...after they died, I was put in an orphanage and most memories of this place have been erased...until just last year when I was still in the process of self-discovery of who I was and if my family history still exists. Luckily, they do."

Liu takes a look at the waterfall and some of the stones surrounding them and imagined this as if it was his home and he said, "Man, it must suck to miss out on something like this for years."

Taji walked up to Musaki and said, "So each time you visit, you still go there?"

Musaki looked at Taji and said, "Yep. Brings back memories and it's where my roots were born for the first three years."

"You're a lucky person." Taji added.

Musaki smiled at that remark taji made about him being lucky and maybe he was right...maybe Musaki is lucky to have such a fulfilling life despite the tragic death of his parents, but after living in the Jade Palace for 4 years, he's not only lucky but also blessed to have something good out of this ordeal. Even more, he's glad to be in his element. He then said, "Thanks, Taj."

Soon enough, Arizona found all three of them in the old home and he sees Musaki there and said, "Hey, Saki. You coming?"

Musaki knew that this time would come to head back to the Jade Palace and he was happy to come back to the place he's been content with in the past 4 years and he said, "Yeah, I'm coming."

Soon enough, Taji, Liu, Arizona and Musaki headed out of there, but not before Musaki takes one last glance of it before he departs and all he could do is smile and whisper to himself, "I'll see ya later."

Later on, three sets of traveling dragons came towards the center of the valley, all waiting for Musaki, Mako and others to head back to the Valley of Peace and when Oak Sung got there, he looks at Musaki and he said, "I cannot tell you how proud I am of you."

Musaki smiled and said, "I know. That I entered the competition and ended up finishing second place."

Oak Sung chuckled and said, "Well that...and for being the panda you're becoming...just like your parents hoped you'd be."

That warmed him up to the fullest extent for his grandfather to realize how proud he is of seeing his grandson grow up in front of his eyes and he gives his grandfather a big hug and whispered, "Thanks, grandpa."

"I know you will make a great kung-fu master. But always remember...you can't be a warrior on the outside..."

"...if you're not one on the inside." they both finished out.

Musaki was gonna grasp onto those words and use it as his own personal phrase and mantra and said, "I'll remember that...always."

Soon enough, Shin Hai comes in and gives Musaki a deep hug and he said, "I consider you one of my boys...even though you're a panda. You'd be a great brother to Shao."

Musaki chuckled softly at that comment and then Shao comes over and he said, "Don't forget to write me sometime, all right? I want to know how you're doing, how's life at the Jade Palace treating ya and also...say hi to Tigress for me."

"It depends if she doesn't claw you." Musaki added.

Both of them started laughing with each other and then they hugged each other deeply and Shao told him, "I'm very happy for you that you made it this far. You're still a winner to all of us."

Suddenly, Kiba, Hige, Toboe and Tsume leaped into Musaki for a little dog-pile and Musaki could see that this is a sign that he'll be missed...in an unexpected way. Kiba looked at him and said, "Always stay true to who you are on the outside and in the inside."

"Uh...what he said." Hige added.

Musaki gets himself off and suddenly, Liu Shang comes over to him and asked, "Guess this is goodbye, huh?"

Musaki smiled at this and he said, "Sometimes I come back to Shanghai Secluded Valley every now and then. It's only about like 5 or 6 miles from the Valley of Peace."

Taji looked over at him and asked, "Will we ever see you again?"

"Of course you will. It's been an honor competing with you guys." Musaki said, with a smile.

Liu smiled at this and bowed to him and said, "We feel the same."

Just then, Cody, Samurai, Phoenix and Tsunami got on one dragon, Mako on the second and Musaki, Arizona and Max on the other dragon and as Musaki took one last look at the people of Shanghai Secluded Valley, he could see that he'll miss them very much and all of these people will be in his heart.

"Thank you guys so much for your support, even though I did land in second place. But hey...I can take what I can get. I'll tell the kung-fu master 'hello' for you. See yinz later!" Musaki said, happily.

As the dragons flew off, everyone cheered and waved 'goodbye' to Musaki, showing how much love he's gotten in this entire valley and they started chanting, 'Xing-Fu's our #1!'

Liu Shang looks up at the sky, feeling happy for the first time that he's found a place he belongs...and made a new friend along the way. That is a prize within itself and he said, "Hope to see you again...my friend."

* * *

And now...the flying journey home!


	22. Made it Back

And they finally made it home!

* * *

Chapter 22: Made it Back

The dragons flew through the skies making their way back to the Valley of Peace and everyone felt the wind blowing through their fur, like they're imagining themselves flying in thin air and over on one of the dragons, Musaki definitely felt like he's in his happier state again after everything that had happened in the past 2 weeks and that he's gonna take some things he's learned and take it back to the Jade Palace.

He turns around to see how Max and Arizona are doing and he asked, "You guys like this?"

Arizona looks over at Musaki and he said, "Yeah, pretty much. Considering how high up we are."

Musaki chuckled at his and he asked, "You took one by yourself when you came to surprise me, didn't ya?"

Arizona didn't want to admit that he flew solo-wise, but of course...Musaki's glare says it all. He chuckled softly and said, "That look means ya pretty much did."

"I still can't believe your uncle would fly a dragon for traveling." Arizona added.

"I couldn't believe it either." Max spoke out.

Arizona looks at Max for a second and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"At first...it was kinda scary because I thought that dragons would be mean and vicious, but after my dad told me to pet one on my first ride, they were really nice. And I was scared that I would fall off, but my dad held onto me and assured me that everything's gonna be okay. So, I'm kinda used to it now." Max explained.

Musaki looks up at Max after hearing this story and he asked, "Why didn't you tell me that story? I thought you were already used to them."

"Not at first." Max added.

"Guess Arizona would take that advice from a seven and a half year old cub." Musaki said, laughing.

"I'll be eight in 2 weeks."

Not long after, Mako comes up and he looks at Musaki and asked, "How excited are you that you're coming back home?"

Musaki lets out a very exicted smile and replied, "Very freakin' excited!"

And with that, it was full speed ahead for the three dragons as they continued to fly off on their way to the Valley of Peace, where the masters are anxiously awaiting for Musaki's homecoming. As they were flying, Musaki suddenly feels a little nervous about how the masters will react when he landed in second place and how they'll take it. Arizona could sense that Musaki was nervous about something and he puts his paw on his shoulder and as Musaki looks at him, Arizona lets out a little smile assuring that everything's gonna be okay.

"Don't worry. The masters will totally understand that you're the runner-up. What matters is that you've come a long way from this and regardless of what happens, you've got a friend in me." Arizona said.

Musaki smiled at that and he said, "Thanks, Zona. You're a good friend."

Minutes later, they finally arrived at the Valley of Peace and as they looked up, they could see the Jade Palace right behind them and they knew that they were finally home at last. Mako looks behind and he said, "Jade Palace, last stop! I'm gonna circle around the place while you guys land on the roof."

Musaki and Arizona looked at each other confusedly at that and asked, "On the roof?"

Without question, the dragon landed all the way down until they reached the tip of the roof of the palace and when they landed, Musaki chuckled softly at that and he said, "Man, I do not know how the masters will react when they see this."

"Maybe they won't notice." Arizona said.

"Maybe when someone opens the door, they can see the dragon's face and breathe fire out of it!" Max exclaimed.

Musaki chuckled softly at that and said, "Full of surprises, aren't ya, Max?"

The other two dragons kept circling around the palace while one dragon walked slowly towards the roof and he stuck his tail down until it reaches the ground, near the front doors. With that, Max went in first and he slid down until he sets foot in there and when he knocked on the door, he quickly hides behind the tail, hoping not to be seen.

But when the door opens, out comes Tigress who looks over to see who was there, but what she didn't know is that she saw a dragon's tail right in front of her and she was at a loss for words as to how and why it came here. Just then, Arizona jumps down towards the ground and faces Tigress and said, "I'm guessing you noticed the dragon's tail."

And lastly, Musaki came down from there as well and after that, Max pops out, waving 'hi' to Tigress and he quickly said, "I knocked."

Tigress didn't even notice the little tiger cub was the one knocking on the door and didn't see him there and she went down to his level and asked, "Why didn't you stay put?"

"I hid from behind the tail so you wouldn't see me. It's fun this way." Max replied, smiling.

Tigress felt completely perplexed at Max's answer and all Max could do is let out a small giggle and he looked at both Musaki and Arizona and they too were a little surprised for Max and Musaki said, "My cousin's full of surprises, isn't he?"

And then, the dragon pops his head out and looks at Tigress for a second and then looks at Max, Musaki and Arizona and gave them a thumbs-up while the dragon gives them a nod and suddenly, in comes Mako dropping in, sliding onto the dragon's head, looks at he others and said, "Welcome back home, Saki."

Max then runs up to his adopted dad and Mako grabbed onto his hand and got on his back and said, "Hold on tight, little Maxie."

"Thanks, unc!" Musaki exclaimed.

"Anytime, my nephew!" Mako said.

Then, the dragon sets out for flying, the rest of the dragons flew away while Musaki and Arizona waved at them and as they entered inside the palace, Tigress still stood there frozen and numb that she saw three dragons just enter the Jade Palace, dropping Musaki and Arizona off and flying out.

Musaki looks behind to see if Tigress is okay and he got in front of her and said, "Hello? Earth to Tigress. Can ya hear me?"

Musaki knew that this would be a risky proposition to punch her arm, but it was his one choice to get her back to reality, so he punched her in the arm and out of nowhere, she punched his arm back. Musaki rubbed his arm quickly and he said, "Definitely back to earth."

Tigress lets out a deep breath and said, "I've been distracted by those dragons. How could your uncle travel with them?"

"We have no idea. But they're cool anyways." Musaki replied.

Later on, as Musaki headed back to his room in the barracks, he began unpacking everything and when he looked at the second-place medal, he can tell that he's accomplished what he set out to accomplish and it was amazing on how things became amazing in the past 2 weeks and he couldn't wait to tell everyone else about it.

As he came out on the hallway however, he didn't notice Shifu standing in front of him, looking completely happy that Musaki's made it back home and after a few awkward silences, Shifu said to him, "Welcome back home, Musaki."

Musaki smiled at him for a second and said, "It's good to be back, Shifu."

Just then, Shifu came over to Musaki and hugged him tightly and Musaki didn't expect this to come, but he was glad that he hugged him anyway because it's been a long time since they saw each other for a while and Shifu quickly lets go of him and asked, "How did it go?"

"Pretty good. Definitely an honor to be there." Musaki replied.

Just then, Po made his way to the kitchen when he saw Musaki standing there and he quickly ran over to him, screaming, "LIL' SAKI-I-I-I-I-I-I!"

Then, he grabs him for a huge bear hug all the while saying, "You're back! We've missed you so much, little buddy! I could just hug you for days!"

Po was unaware that Musaki couldn't breathe and he tried to say, "Dude...losing...air...here."

Po quickly lets go of Musaki and chuckled embarassedly and said, "Sorry. Sometimes I can't help myself. I'm a hugger, can ya blame me?"

"I noticed. How's your arm?"

Po takes a look at it and replied, "Just healed a few days ago actually. No big deal, though."

Shifu looks up at Musaki and he said, "I'm guessing you noticed that it was all Tigress' work, huh? I don't think she'll be sparring with you for a little while now."

"Why? I thought her training privileges were suspended for a week." Musaki said.

Shifu chuckled at this and said, "I thought so too...until she went back to the training hall, knowing fully that it was half demolished thanks to her temper and half of everything's broken again. So it's expanded to two months."

Musaki whistled at that and said, "Wonder how she took it."

"I was on my way to tell her but then I saw you come by. So I thought I might say hello to you first." Shifu added.

"Thanks. I have so much to tell you about the competition." Musaki said, excitedly.

Po jumped around, giggling giddy-like and said, "Please tell me the story before I pee of excitement."

Shifu and Musaki glared at Po for a second and they said, "Please don't."

* * *

Next chapter, Musaki tells the masters everything about the competition...including coming in second. How will the masters react?


	23. Musaki's Optimistic Perspective

Here's how Musaki tells the rest of them about his competition and how he took it all in stride when he came in second place. So much so that his optimistic attitude seems to impress them...well almost.

* * *

Chapter 23: Musaki's Optimistic Perspective

Later on, Arizona heads back to his dorm and as he unpacks most of his stuff, he sees Ruiz and Shing coming in and they're both completely stoked up that Arizona's back and Shing said, "Z-wolf! Welcome back, man!"

Arizona chuckled softly at that and he said, "Great to be back, Shing."

"So...did Musaki win the competition?" asked Ruiz, excitedly as if he was about to burst.

"I think Musaki would rather tell us all about it with the rest later on today. After all that dragon flying, I think I might need a little rest." Arizona explained.

Shing chuckled in understandment and sees that Arizona is a little worn out and said, "Guess all that flying got you pooped, huh?"

Arizona chuckled softly as he laid on his mat and replied, "Yep."

Without question, Shing and Ruiz quietly left the room to let Arizona nap for a while because after flying to and from Shanghai Secluded Valley, he needed a big rest just so he would look forward to hear all about Musaki's competition experience.

* * *

2 hours later...

As the gang gathered up in the kitchen to hear about how it went, Musaki explained everything that had occured since he was there, between the competition rounds to making it to the finals and how some of his training paid off bigger than anything because of it. All the masters listened in awe and excitement about this and it made Shifu more enthusiastic about that.

"Wow. I never thought that you would be able to use those moves the way you did. I wished I was there." Shifu said.

"And this guy Jaa...dude was freakin' nuts. And I thought Tigress was hardcore. This guy is literally harder than hardcore, he's more like super freaky hardcore." Musaki added.

Tigress glared at him thinking it was referred to her and lets out a slight growl and Musaki rolled his eyes at this and said, "Oh, come on! Can't ya take a joke, at least just once?"

"What joke?" asked Tigress.

Musaki rolled his eyes and decided to move on to it as he turned to the rest and said, "Anywho...it was the best experience I ever had and I've pretty much conquered every single round, of course some of the contestants were doing really well. I've never received that much support for anyone and it was insanely awesome."

Po was super-excited to hear what Musaki did in the competition and he could not wait to hear what happened next and he was quick to ask, "So...did you win, Lil' Saki?"

The masters were waiting with bated breath to hear that Musaki won the competition and suddenly, Musaki took a deep breath as if they wanted to hear the truth about it and he asked, "Ya really wanna know?"

"Yes, we do! You've got to be in first place, right?" asked Monkey, excitedly.

"Actually, I came in..." Musaki paused for a minute and got really nervous to see what their reaction might be if he landed in second place because he wasn't sure how they'll take it, but when he looked at Arizona, the young wolf cracked a smile and nodded his head to make sure that everything will be okay if he told them.

"Well? We're waiting." Tigress said, with her patience getting lower.

Musaki sighed heavily and knew that it was time to get it out in the open and with a smile, he replied, "I finished in second place."

Suddenly, everyone went from excited to shocked and surprised to hear the two words 'second place' come out of Musaki's mouth and everyone asked, "Second place?"

"Yeah." Musaki replied.

Crane was a little taken aback that Musaki finished in second place and he didn't expect him to be in that position because his skills were so well beyond his years and something that no kung-fu master would even attempt to do and then he asked, "Who took first?"

"A young skilled warrior with a lot of potential and that I've been friends with along the way; Liu Shang." Musaki replied.

Shifu was silent as he could not believe that Musaki finished second place and he didn't know how to respond to that or even react in a certain way, assuming that Musaki might've been disappointed that he didn't win like most of them expected to and Viper looks over at him with a sympathic expression and said, "I'm sorry you lost, Musaki."

Musaki smiled at her and he said, "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm actually okay with being second place."

That single comment surprised everyone except for Arizona that Musaki seemed lighthearted and easy-going with finishing second like it never mattered to him. Monkey stared at him and asked, "You're not disappointed or mad?"

"Not really. And to be honest, I never wanted to win in the first place like everyone hoped I would. I just came there because it's still an honor to participate in it, so I hold no ill feelings towards Liu Shang because I'm too much of a big-hearted person to do that. You sometimes have to take losses very maturely and just go with the flow instead of being mad that you lost a single round or whatever. If the person wins, we should boost them up, not tear them down. Besides, it was meant to happen anyway." Musaki explained.

"So...you're okay with it?" asked Po, conffusedly.

Musaki chuckled softly and replied, "Definitely. What matters is that I did my parents, the people in Shanghai Secluded Valley and most importantly...you guys proud and I think I succeeded."

Shifu chuckled at Musaki's lighthearted attitude about this and he was surprised that he took it well than his students would've took it if they were placed in his position and said, "Well, I'm very impressed with how you're handling this."

Mantis hopped onto Musaki's shoulder and said, "Come on, man. You should've won! That Jaa character would've been easy to beat. And I'm surprised that girls didn't throw themselves over you because they would want to be your mate."

Viper quickly slithered over to Mantis and whacked him in the head and said, "Must you show more crude remarks about women and instill it in Musaki's head?"

"Hey, I'm just saying. It would've been cooler if Musaki was a ladies' man." Mantis said, while chuckling sly-like.

Musaki rolled his eyes at that and he said, "One did throw a rose for me though and all I did was wave hi to them."

"That was a very nice gesture." Viper said, smiling.

Mantis mocked at her silently, but of course, Viper whipped his head again and she said, "Why couldn't you be more like Musaki? At least he's a sweet gentleman."

"But beside all of that, we're really proud of you." Shifu said, happily.

"And I have you guys to thank. I still feel like a winner though." Musaki said, happily.

That comment seemed to irritate Tigress to the brink and she stood up out of her chair, seemingly outraged at how he took Musaki's loss as nothing and said, "Why would you say you still feel like a winner? You didn't win first place!"

Musaki could sense that she seems a little upset with the fact that he took second place well and he replied, "Because I won the support and love of Shanghai Secluded Valley and you guys as well. Besides, does it really matter who wins first place?"

"I can't believe you have the decency to say this like losing never matters to you! What if you were disappointed in yourself? Or worse, letting every kung-fu master down because everything you do isn't perfect? How would you feel about that?" Tigress shouted.

"Hey, hey, hey, Tigress. Calm down." Po said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Po's right...for once. If Musaki's okay with the end result of the competition, we're okay with it also." Shifu added, sternly.

"Yeah, not every warrior is a perfect warrior." Musaki responded.

Tigress got really mad about what Musaki just said that not every warrior is a perfect warrior and in her eyes, she sees this as an insult and said, "All warriors should be perfect! Even me!"

Arizona stared at her for a while, in a cofused look seeing as how she shifted from Musaki to herself and asked, "Where are you going with this?"

"Musaki lost a match and he's fine with it! I think that's a sign that means you're letting the winner take all the glory from you!" Tigress shouted.

Shifu decided to step in before it gets worse and he said, "Master Tigress, just because Musaki took second place doesn't mean that he should give up! And above all, not every warrior is perfect! It's not important that he wins first place or even win a match above others. What matters is that he did what he was supposed to do; be the best he can be and that's what he did. He didn't have to prove anything to you, me or any one of us. And for you to say this to him is utterly unneccesary and childish!"

Musaki kept watching this unfold and he could see that this is an awkward moment and he said, "Maybe I should be excused for a while."

Shifu quickly went to him and said, "You don't have to go. Tigress did not mean what she said. And I'm glad that you're still very optimistic about all of this and as I have told you, you're still a winner to all of us here."

Viper, Po, Mantis, Monkey, Arizona and Crane all smiled for Musaki's support and he knows that whatever happens, nothing will change him in an instant because he's that kindhearted and Shifu went on to say, "And we're all very proud of you."

Tigress scoffed at this and said, "I'm disappointed that you're in second place."

Musaki shook it off like it's nothing and just continued smiling, which angered Tigress a little as she sat back down, sneering at him. Po then asked, "Are you gonna come back to reclaim your throne?"

"Actually, I told my grandfather that I won't be participating next year. I'm already the 20th bloodline of the Bushido-Akio clan to win or participate in this competition and I already fele like I'm honored and privileged to be a part of something that's awesome and that it'll be the best memory to keep with for the rest of my life and that's good enough for me." Musaki answered.

Crane puts his wing around Musaki's shoulder and said, "We totally understand. You're gonna turn out to be a very special warrior someday."

"Besides, it's only one time. I will join in the audience though to root the future contestants on. That to me is considered honorable enough." Musaki added.

Shifu smiled at Musaki because of his optimistic nature and said, "This is why we all respect you...because of your positive outlook on life and how you've grown into a mature young man. I know for a fact that you will be a great and inspiring kung-fu master in your future."

"Thanks, Master Shifu. And it's because of you guys that made me be who I am today." Musaki said, happily.

"Oh, please! What makes you think you'll be a great warrior because you landed in second place?" Tigress scowled.

Musaki stood up from his seat and placed his hand about his heart and said, "Because I am a warrior...right here."

Tigress was shocked to hear Musaki saying that he's a warrior at heart instead of on the outside and he also said, "I can't be one on the outside if I'm not one on the inside. That's what makes me stronger...is to stay true to myself and believe in myself."

Musaki then walks out of the kitchen, leaving most of the warriors in awe over Musaki's words and its inspiring message. Shifu then looks at Tigress and said, "You should learn from Musaki that there is more to life than winning. Let that be a lesson to you all; that if you look at the positive outlooks on life rather than the negative and if that you believe in yourself, anything is possible. And that you're all warriors not just on the outside, but on the inside as well."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement by that statement and Shifu then excused himself out of the kitchen and Tigress sat back down, feeling like she was still hurt with the fact that Musaki accepted the fact that he's in second place and never gets himself disappointed for it. Soon, it turned to guilt after the way she treated him after letting her anger get the best of her and that it shouldn't have happened.

"Boy, did Musaki sure tell you." Monkey added.

Then, Shifu quickly came back and said, "Tigress, I almost forgot to tell you, your suspension from your training privileges has been expanded to two months."

That made Tigress shocked and furious to hear that come out of Shifu and screamed, "WHAAAAAATTTT!"

"Ouch." Arizona whispered.

* * *

Was that crazy or what? Forgive me if I made Tigress a little out of control on this one. There's two more chapters coming up!


	24. Amends

And here's where Tigress and Musaki make-up again...in the same place where they were before Musaki left the Jade Palace for the competition.

* * *

Chapter 24: Amends

Later that evening, Musaki made his way to the Sacred peach Tree to take a look at the sunset and as he got there, he definitely felt like he was back at home and as he sat on the base of the tree, he lets out a happy sigh and said, "I've missed this place for two weeks. My personal sanctuary."

Just feeling the wind on his fur made him feel relaxed and peaceful and it was good enough for him and as he looked at the sky, he looked back on everything that had happened in two weeks since participating in the kung-fu competition back in Shanghai Secluded Valley and how much he's learned throughout and that it was the best thing he's ever done; being in it. And to him, being in second place is considered an accomplishment because of his skills and he wishes all the best for his good friend and fellow winner, Liu Shang.

He picks up his guitar and starts singing a little song while watching the sun go down as it peaks towards the Valley of Peace.

_Through the glass in my bedroom window_

_In the bushes far below  
I thought I saw an unfamiliar shadow_

_Among the ones I so clearly know_

_I've been sleeping with the nightlight unplugged_

_with a note on the rocking chair_

_that says I'm dreaming of the life I once loved_

_So wake me when if you're out there_

_Living close to the ground_

_is seventh heaven cause there are angels all around_

_Among my frivilous thoughts_

_I believe there are beautiful things seen by the astronauts_

_So wake me if you you're out there_

_Wake me if you're out there_

_In the dust on my cellar staircase_

_A pair of footprints followed me_

_I saw the flicker in the fake fireplace_

_Blinked again, but there was nothing to see_

_I've been leaving all the windows unlocked_

_with a basket by the oak tree_

_Cause I'll be picking up the acorns that fall off_

_If you'll be climbing up to meet me_

_Living close to the ground_

_is seventh heaven cause there are angels all around_

_Among my frivilous thoughts_

_I believe there are beautiful things seen by the astronauts_

_So wake me if you're out there_

_I keep my knees black and blue_

_cause they often hit the hardwood floor_

_(Wake me if you're out there)_

_And I believe so I'm not_

_playing to the ceiling anymore_

_I've been sleeping with the nightlight unplugged_

_with a note on the rocking chair_

_that says I'm dreaming of the life I once loved_

_So wake me if you're out there_

_Living close to the ground_

_is seventh heaven cause there are angels all around_

_Among my frivilous thoughts_

_I believe there are beautiful things seen by the astronauts_

_The indictations reveal_

_(Wake me if you're out there)_

_That few of us realize_

_life is quite surreal_

_So if you're dyin' to see_

_I guarantee_

_there are angels around your vicinity_

_So if you're dyin' to see_

_I guarantee_

_there are angels around your vicinity..._

After that, Musaki looks up at the sky and he thought of his parents in that song and whispered, "Just made that song for you, mom and dad."

As he kept looking at the sunset, he heard some footsteps coming from behind and when he turned around, he saw Tigress standing there and he assumed that she's still not over the fact that Musaki's cool with being second place in the competition and that she might continue to just go off on him, but instead, Tigress just stood there, not sure what she wanted to say to Musaki.

He could tell that she's struggling to find the right words to tell him and he asked, "Came to apologize?"

All Tigress could do is try to answer that question and she said, "No...I mean, yes. I mean...how do you do this?"

Musaki lets out a very confused look on her face like she doesn't know what she's saying or even doing and he asked, "Do what?"

Tigress sighed in frustration as she sat down on the ground next towards Musaki and said, "Just to apologize about what happened. I've let my anger get out of control back in the kitchen and it just...I just don't know how you're used to something like this."

Then, Musaki figured that she was talking about losing out in the competition and he said, "Are you still upset about this?"

Tigress wanted to make an excuse for it, but a question like this stopped her dead on her tracks and she answered, "I'm just...confused. You're in second place and you're happy with it."

"Hey, I lose to you most of the time when we're sparring, but I just roll with the punches and not make a big deal out of losing. You win some and you lose some, but whatever comes my way, at the end of the day, I have to remember that it's just a part of life. And that we can't control whatever happens in the world if something's wrong. We just go with it." Musaki explained.

Tigress sighed heavily and just turned away from Musaki for minute, trying to not let him see her guilty face come out because she's too ashamed to even show it. But for Musaki, he already saw it and didn't judge or criticize her for it because he's not that kind of person to do that. He just puts his hand on her shoulder and said, "It's okay to let your emotions out."

She then took a look at him and said, "I just came to say that I'm sorry for all the things I've said earlier. I should've gained more self-control of myself and instead, I just treated you horribly...like I always do."

"Hey, I accept your apology. Don't I always?" asked Musaki.

"Yes...but why? How can you still forgive me? I've hurt your feelings too many times and you didn't deserve that!" Tigress shot back.

Musaki sighed heavily and said, "Listen, those are just little things. I'm not complaining because I'm in second place. Whatever happened back at the competition has already happened. In fact, I never expected to win as much as everyone thought I would. But you know, I'm happy either way because I did what I set out to do...accomplish whatever I accomplished and I did, even though sometimes you don't get what you expected to get. Life can get you down sometimes and it's okay, but you can't let life keep you down. You just have to go with it."

All those words sound like something Master Oogway or Master Shifu would say, but never a 17-year old student would expect these things to say these things that would connect with years of experience. She looks at him and asked, "How'd you get to be so wise?"

"I got it from my grandfather...and you guys as well." Musaki answered.

Tigress lets out another sigh and she said, "I wish I could be more like you...trying not to let little things make me angry and not to hurt other people's feelings. I just don't show my emotions because I don't want anyone else to think that I'm not as strong as they thought and be made fun of for it."

"Look, showing emotions is never, nor has it ever been a weakness. Sometimes showing vulnerablity is considered a strength and it takes a real warrior to show it. My grandfather once told me that sometimes courage isn't the absence of fear, but often the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all. To me, it stands for facing whatever you're afraid of with no regrets...even if it doesn't involve kung-fu." Musaki added.

"It's not that simple to show emotions." Tigress said.

"Whatever you're thinking, don't let things like that hold you back because if you allow yourself to do so, the path you might go won't be as good as you thought. No one's gonna make fun of you because you're showing emotions because I'm sure the others feel the same way too. But showing emotions is a part that makes us human."

All those words seem to connect with Tigress even more as she allowed him to break down her wall she created, more so than Po broke down her wall first and she said, "You're a good person, Musaki. And I am very proud of you...not just what you accomplished but for being a part of our lives. At first, I believed that you might tear this team apart because everyone's been that open to you but I was wrong to say or think that way and for that, I am very sorry. You do belong here."

Musaki smiled at this and she hugged him tightly, hoping that it'll never end and Musaki graciously accepted it as he hugged her too.

"GROUP HUG!" Po shouted.

As Po comes running in to give both of them a big hug, both of them moved out of the way until Po landed on the tree and fell down to the ground. As they both let go of each other, Tigress smiled at Musaki and said, "I'll think about what you said and if I ever lose my temper, just let me know."

"Promise?" asked Musaki.

She bowed to him and said, "That's a promise...young master."

Po lets out a painful groan as he laid down on the ground and Tigress looked down and just gave Po a little kiss on the cheek and left the Peach Tree and all Po could do is lay there, not even moving a muscle and Musaki looks at him and asked, "You okay, Po?"

"Mm-hmm. Think you can give me a hand?" asked Po.

Musaki gave him a little applause and Po could see that he's making a sarcastic wit about it and he said, "Very funny, Lil' Saki. Help me up, please. I think I broke my left butt cheek."

Musaki offered to bring Po up to his feet and Po caressed his butt to make sure it's not broken or anything and said, "Thanks."

"Anytime. How's your butt?" asked Musaki.

"It's fine. Think you can kiss my sore butt cheek?" asked Po.

Musaki was weirded out after Po asked him to kiss his butt cheek and with that, he said, "Nah, I don't think my lips will get anywhere on your butt."

As Musaki walks back to the palace, Po follows him, continuously asking him to kiss his sore butt cheek for him and when he got to the barracks, he groans and said, "All right, man. Chill."

As Po was waiting for his boo-boo on his boom-boom to go away, he seeks Ruiz walking his way and immediately grabs him and placed his lips on Po's bare butt cheek and when Ruiz opened his eyes, he could see what he was doing and immediately exclaims in disgust and starts running towards the bathroom to spit it out.

Musaki chuckled softly at that and said, "Works every time."

* * *

Decided to let humor play out at the end of this chapter and that quote Musaki said to Tigress about courage came from a scene in 'Princess Diaries.' Last chapter is coming up! Also, the song is 'Angels' from Owl City. That song fits him well.


	25. Things Looking Up

Here it is! Here's how it all ends!

* * *

Chapter 25: Things Looking Up

A week has passed by since Musaki came home from the competition in Shanghai Secluded Valley and in the training hall, he began sparring with Arizona again. The young wolf looks at Musaki in the eye and all Musaki could do is just get ready for what's happening now.

And when Shifu snapped his fingers, Arizona began running towards him, kicking him at every punch, but Musaki grabbed ahold of his leg and threw him around the training hall, but Arizona landed on his feet and just stood there. Musaki immediately went up to him and both of them sparred with each other in every ounce of punch, kick, pounce or twists and spins. And when Arizona planned to use a corkscrew manever on Musaki, he could see that Musaki immediately dodged his effort and did his anti-gravity lean move to prevent himself from being punched out.

And when Musaki got himself back up, he did a twist kick to the jaw and landed on his feet and Arizona completely went out with a straight up package of flips and kicks towards him and both of them continued to spar for a long period of time and when Arizona was ready to shove him down, Musaki jumps up in the air, making Arizona miss his aim and landed on the wall.

Arizona comes back to punch him out and kick him to the ground and when he succeeded, he was able to pin him down, but Musaki had other ideas. He slipped out from under him and just kicked him directly in the shin.

As Shifu put a halt to the spar, Arizona got himself up and the two of them started panting heavily while looking at each other and Shifu comes forward and said, "I can see the tournament you participated has made your training more improved, Musaki. Well done. Arizona, as much as I can praise for holding your own, just be able to keep a sharp eye out for your opponent."

Both of them bowed to Shifu and to each other respectfully and then Arizona comes up to him and said, "Looks like I got my butt kicked again by you."

"Well, hey...it's all a part of the job." Musaki said, smiling.

Just then, Ruiz came over to him and he said to Musaki, "Can't believe you made me kiss the Dragon Warrior's butt last week."

The rest of the gang froze for a minute and had a disgusted look on their faces when they heard what Ruiz just said and Mantis asked, "Ruiz, you kissed Po's butt?"

Po was surprised himself to actually hear this and asked, "Wait, that was you?"

Ruiz nodded his head slowly and Po was completely mortified to hear that he got his butt kissed by Ruiz instead of Musaki and he quickly turned to Musaki and asked, "I thought it was you."

"Dude, if I were to kiss your boom-boom after your little boo-boo in the Peach Tree, I'd have nightmares probably for the rest of my life." Musaki replied.

Po sighed heavily at this and he said, "I'm sorry. I just thought that if I got like a little bump or something, I kept thinking about my dad kissing every sore spot to make it feel better when I was a kid."

Musaki couldn't blame for Po that and he said, "I understand. Just don't ask me to do that again."

Hours later, Musaki was sitting in the Sacred Peach Tree, just looking over the skies and feeling the wind blowing through his fur again and he began looking back on his journey in the competition and realized how far he came to make his journey where he learned a lot of things along the way and made new friends as well. That's a moment that he will cherish until the end of time or until the day he dies.

Just then, he seeks someone flying towards the skies and when he looks up, he sees that it's Mac dropping in and when he landed on the Sacred peach Tree, Musaki looks at him and said, "Hey, Mac. What's up?"

Mac gets himself up and he said, "Got some letters for you from Liu Shang and Taji."

That made Musaki more excited than anything to receive two scrolls from both of them and once he got them, he said, "Thanks, Mac."

Mac nodded his head and he said, "I'll say 'hi' for you when I get back to Shanghai Secluded Valley...and it's great to see you come back home to the Valley of Peace. And also...your grandparents told me to tell you that they're really proud of you."

To hear that Musaki's grandparents are proud of them is considered his greatest accomplishment he's ever had and he smiled and said, "Thanks. I appreciate that."

Mac nodded his head and flew his way back to Shanghai Secluded Valley and after that, Musaki opened up one scroll and it was from Liu Shang. He was anxious but happy to hear what he had to say on that letter.

_Hey, Musaki! How's it going? It's your buddy, Liu Shang. Life's been going great here at Shanghai Secluded Valley and I have to say...this is considered a great home for me. The people here are really friendly and welcoming after I won first place. I think I gained a much bigger prize than a medal; since they praised both of us in the competition last week, they wished me the best of luck and made me feel welcome. I like it here a lot better than where I used to live. So how's life in the Valley of Peace? I haven't been there yet, but I am looking forward to come see you for a visit someday. I also want to tell you that you've been a really good friend to me since the tournament and we've become like friends than competitors. And you've given me something I could never gain on my own; you gave me courage, strength and even more...a chance to go after something I never thought in a million years would ever happen; to live out my dream. I'm still training though. Me and Taji are getting along great and we've become best buds after you left. I feel as if my journey has just begun and I can't wait to see where it'll take me...all thanks to you. I'll never forget that. Well, gotta go. Hope to hear from you soon. Your best friend forever, Liu Shang._

It sounds like Liu Shang is happy in Shanghai Secluded Valley and if it's good enough for him, it's definitely good enough for Musaki and he was happy to hear that he is doing extremely well there and that he's happy that he's starting a new life there and there is no doubt in his mind that they will meet each other again.

After this, he sets down the scroll and reads another one from Taji and when he opens it, he was excited to hear what Taji's better up to.

_Musaki! What's up? It's Taji here! How ya doing? I'm doing really great! I have to say...Shanghai Secluded Valley is awesome! I'm gonna love living here. Everything's going well and you know...I think this is where my family's gonna live because I've gotten along with everyone here, including Shao and Shin Hai. I began thinking about the competition we participated in and each time I look at my third place medal, I think about how much I've accomplished, even though I didn't land in first place. But it's cool. As long as I'm proud of what I've done and my family supports me, that's all I needed. Also...Liu Shang is a new member of our family and since then, we've been tight with each other. I think we're more like brothers than former competitors or friends. But enough about me, how's life in the Valley of Peace? I bet it must be awesome to live in the Jade Palace with those freakin' awesome kung-fu masters. I hope we get the chance to see each other again soon. And maybe hook me up with Viper...just kidding. Anyways, hope you reply back and we'll talk later, okay? Later, buddy! Your friend, Taji._

"Looks like Liu and Taji are doing well." Musaki said, happily.

Musaki felt definitely lucky to see that there is life after competition and especially life after what happened in 14 years and how he's grateful to have everything he ever wanted; a family, great friends, a great life and a chance to be a great kung-fu master. Looks like the future is holding bright for him as he will remain a warrior on the inside.

* * *

Awesome ending, huh? Well, this is where it ends here! Congrats to everyone who have read and reviewed this story and for breaking into the hundred review mark I've set on my previous fics (most of which were on the hundreds as well). A new story is coming up soon, so AniUniverse syaing see yinz later!


	26. Bonus Chapter

Thought I added in a little deleted scene as a reward for mounds of reviews you gave me and also for breaking the hundreds review mark, surpassing my past fics that have been in the hundreds. A little request from Angel of Darkness. Here's the afterparty chapter!

* * *

Bonus Chapter: Little Get Together

Later that evening in Shanghai Secluded Valley, sometime after the second day of the battle, Shao took Musaki, Liu Shang and Taji over to the temple where there's a get-together going on and all of them were blown away by how this looks and all Musaki could do is say, "Wow..."

"Pretty epic, huh? My dad totally wanted to throw in a little shindig after a heavy day of battling and that because you guys are finalists, he wanted to congratulate you on your amazing talents." Shao explained.

Taji chuckled at this and said, "Your dad's pretty cool to do this for us."

Soon enough, Shao sees his dad along with Takumi and Shaka and when they came over, Shin Hai was excited to see Musaki, Taji and Liu Shang come this way and he said, "The finalists of the hour! Glad you could come!"

Musaki smiled at this and he said, "Thanks. Your son told us about it so we wanted to know what was up."

Shin Hai chuckled softly and said, "You three owned the competition like it was no one's business. I was definitely rooting for you all, especially Xing-Fu."

Liu Shang looked up at Musaki for a second and he said, "Why's that?"

"Everyone in town is saying that Xing-Fu should win because he's next in line for winning the competition next to his father, but knowing Sakamoto, he would want Xing-Fu to just honor this tradition and do a good job with it." Shin Hai answered.

Taji figured out why Musaki is well-known around parts of Shanghai Secluded Valley and he said to Musaki, "It's like you're famous here."

Musaki chuckled at that and he said, "Nah, it's not like that. The reason for that is people pretty much knew my dad. Some say I'm like him or that I have the same traits as him, but really, I'm just me."

"That you are, Xing-Fu. Man, your dad would be so proud of you right now." Shin Hai said.

Musaki smiled at that and as he looked around, he could see that it's quite the party from dancing to games to everything in between and he turns to Shin Hai and said, "Quite a party."

"Yep. There's like some food, games, a dance-off and even something me and my pack like to call...an all-out animal jam."

All three of them look at each other confused-like and asked, "All-out animal jam?"

Shao chuckled at this and said, "Yep. My dad loves the all-out animal jam. It's what he calls the party that goes freakin' insane."

Not long after, Shin Hai assembled his pack together and soon after, some music started playing and Shin Hai was the first person around the stage dancing along to a dance beat and he started spinning, backflipping and freestyling some sick dance moves and Musaki could not believe that someone like Shin knows how to dance really well and when he did a little kung-fu dance move, all of them cheered for him.

Musaki dropped his jaw in shock over this and he asked Shao, "How does your dad do that?"

"My dad's energy has the moves of a young wolf and since he's pushing 37 soon, he might as well live it up like nothing before." Shao replied.

Not long after, they started playing a little dance music and Shin Hai was ready to bust a move along with his wolf members as they showed them what they got and all of them assembled in a breakdancing move where they freestyled all the way and soon enough, he suggested that Musaki should join in. At first, Musaki hesitated, but Shao brought him up on stage anyway and once Shin bust out some moves, Musaki could see that he could see what he was doing.

Musaki brought out some kung-fu/breakdance moves as he did some criss-crossing, spinning, twirls, backflips and freestyled more, impressing the audience and everyone in between, including Taji and Liu Shang. They never expected Musaki to be so good at it and how he was well experienced with it.

Shin Hai looked at him in surprise and he said, "Man...you're good."

Not long after, Liu and Taji took a shot at archery (just for fun) while Shao and Musaki played some darts and played guitar like they were a couple of music rock stars and sprayed each other with silly string. It was like a huge amount of release time for this shindig.

Then, Musaki, Shao, Liu Shang and Taji took a chance at rope tugging where it was Taji and Shao on one side and Liu and Musaki on another as they planned to win this game and evidently, Liu and Musaki garnered enough grip to win this tug and both of them high-fived each other.

Later on, they ended this shindig by dancing to another set of dance music and Taji and Liu Shang took some dancing lessons from Musaki as the music begins to play.

_Hit the lights_

_let the music move you_

_Lose yourself tonight_

_Come alive, let the moment take you_

_Lose control tonight_

_It's a mad, mad world_

_Gotta make an escape_

_It's a perfect world when you go all the way_

_Hit the lights_

_let the music move you_

_Lose yourself tonight_

Liu eventually got it down quickly as he took some of Musaki's moves and incorporated it into his own, which surprised Musaki and Taji and both of them high-fived each other and Taji opted a turn at this and puts his own spin on it and it was like a big dance craze. Not long after, everyone got into it as mounds of lanterns lit up the entire temple as the song continues to play.

_So let's go, go, go_

_All the way_

_Yeah, let's go, go, go go_

_Night and day_

_From the floor to the rafters_

_People raise your glasses_

_We could dance forever..._

_Hit the lights_

_let the music move you_

_Lose yourself tonight_

_Come alive, let the moment take you_

_Lose control tonight_

_It's a mad, mad world_

_Gotta make an escape_

_It's a perfect world when you go all the way_

_Hit the lights_

_let the music move you_

_Lose yourself tonight..._

And it ended with Musaki, Liu Shang, Taji and Shao laughing as they walked out of the party with good spirits. Musaki chuckled softly and said, "Best fun ever!"

"I'm glad you guys got to experience it for the first time." Shao added.

"Thanks for bringing us there, Shao. I never knew how much fun it would be." Taji added, happily.

"Hey, you guys are the finalists. You guys are true champions." Shao said, happily.

Minutes later, they went their separate ways as they headed towards separate homes to rest up for another day of competition because they may need it and it's also nice to have a little bit of fun and for Musaki, it was the best gathering he's ever attended to...in Shanghai Secluded Valley.

* * *

The song was 'Hit the Lights' from Selena Gomez. Now...it's completed! Thanks again!


End file.
